


(K)night in Black Armor

by book_world



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Consensual Underage Sex, F/M, Implied Smut, Implied Torture, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Mafia AU, Mentions of Death, Mobster AU, Modern AU, Prostitution, Smut, Underage Drinking, but not TOO dark, mafia, might add more warnings later on as story progresses, mobster, mobster spock, or killing takes place, spock is being so sweet all the time, this is about mafia and brothels, will also contain smut, will deal with non-con later on, will get dark soon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:47:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 49,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27895534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/book_world/pseuds/book_world
Summary: Words. Simple things, used every day, written and spoken. Sometimes they were shallow, meaningless. Something, they brought things into motion. Small things. Big things. As there were good words and bad words, also said changes could be both.Having lived all your life in the nightclub Stella where you worked as erotic worker, two most simple words held a great value to you and your co-workers and friends; yes and no. Using them was an easy, yet effective way to tell customers what you wanted and what not. Of course, these words were important in such situations but only for the here and now. You had never experienced that they had some long-term effects.Until one night, when a simple word had set the ball rolling. A huge ball that would change your whole life forever. Ironically, that word was a ‘yes’, the usually negligible word. But that had not been the first important word of the night in which it all begun. It had started with two words. Well, actually three, if you payed attention to grammar: “They’re back”
Relationships: Spock (Star Trek)/You, Spock/Reader
Comments: 8
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work isn't as dark as it looks, especially in the first few chapters. But be aware that it is about Mafia and Erotic Clubs, so don't expect something too innocent. However, it’s not exactly how ‘real’ Mafia works, I made up many things so that it fits Star Trek a bit better (and that it doesn’t get too dark).  
> This work is also posted on my tumblr; harrypotter-and-the-onering, so don't think I stole it. [ Here's the Series Masterlist on my tumblr ](https://harrypotter-and-the-onering.tumblr.com/post/633585186789097472/knight-in-black-armor-spock-mobsterau)  
> Please tell me think I should add more warnings! I really don't want to take anyone by surprise!  
> Now, enjoy!

There were two words you didn’t like to hear from one of the managers of the Stella, the nightclub you worked and lived in. Well, according to grammatical rules it were three words. A contraction. And those words were ‘They’re back’. _They_ could be different people but it always referred to one of the Mafia families in San Francisco. Ironically, there were two types, one that meant trouble for the owner of the establishment and the other type that was trouble for you, the employees. Two of the bigger Mafia families, the Romulanos and the Klingonas meant trouble for anyone who was not on their side and thought they owned everything and could do as they wanted. This was why it needed the third big family of the area, the Azienda who would protect establishments like the Stella. That, however, came to a certain price, a protection racket, which the manager of the club had to pay said family every few months. You didn’t want to know what would happen if he didn’t pay. Some said that the Azienda themselves would go against you while others thought that they’d just leave you (especially the females) at the mercy of the other two, far more ruthless families. And unfortunately, today was another day where some of the Mobsters were back and your friends and you were trying to find out who they were.

“Get away” Mary hissed as she pushed a younger one away from the little window that allowed you to look into the nightclub from your preparation room “I want to have a look to. I hope it’s not one of the Romulanos again”

“No, I think they’re from the Azienda”

“Well Ollie won’t like that” there was a knock and shortly after, Theresa, who was something like a foster mother for all the younger females, namely the ones under 25.

“Alright listen” she said, looking at all of you “Garett sent me. We’ve got high visitors and he wants all of you, all of us, to put on our best behavior”

“Do we know them?” Jessy piped up

“Well one of them is one of the Azienda’s Caporegimes, the doctor. And one is most likely the boss himself. We couldn’t identify the third one but I think it’s safe to assume that he’s of a higher status of the Azienda too” there were gasps from all of you. The boss of the Azienda himself was here? You had only seen once when you were younger and had not really been ‘working’ at that time. “Anyways, Garett’s asked me to let you know that, if you’re comfortable with it, you should rather wear green or red armbands. Try to pay some attention to them but don’t bother them” you gave a nod and most of your friends went to the clothes rails to pick their outfits for the night, while you considered which color you should take. They provided an easy way for customers to know for what you were ready. White, for example, was usually for the younger ones. It meant, they wanted to be left alone and would only give a show or serve drinks. Next came green, which you usually chose. With this, you did interact with customers directly but only when you wanted. Which meant you could go to them if you wanted but they had to ask before they did something that involved touching you. Red meant that customers could call them over (unless the woman didn’t want to) and mostly could touch them a little without asking all the time. But you all wouldn’t let them go too far because that already went under another category of service for which the clients had to pay extra. But of course you already got a few tips by just going to the customers and at times, even one of the workers wearing white would approach clients, but mostly only when someone else of you was already with them. With a sigh you picked two of the green armbands and then proceeded to the make-up station since you were already dressed. While you were getting ready, some others returned, probably to refresh themselves.

“Did you hear it yet?”

“Hear what?”

“Members of the Azienda are here. Among them the boss. And Ollie and Gaz are speculating that the third one we don’t know is the underboss”

“Oh yeah” you replied “I didn’t know who the third one was though” you got ready while the others continued talking. Once you were done, you waited at the door to the actual club and took a deep breath as you often did. You checked a mirror, pushed back a strand of hair before you entered the club. Instantly you were hit with the familiar smell, lightning and music. A part of you liked it while the other hated it. Of course you threw a look into the direction of the mobsters but didn’t pay too much attention them. “What do you have for me today?” you asked one of the males working here because you weren’t needed on the show floor each evening but could often work behind the bar for an evening instead. He eyed you and his look fell to your green band.

“I think serving will do for the beginning. Almost everyone seems to be wanting to entertain them” he nodded at the three men who had taken a seat on one of the sofas. “I just hope they don’t demand too much”

“Protection racket?” you asked walking towards the bar to put on an apron. If you could call the small piece of cloth an apron. Oddly, servers that brought drinks to the entertainment floor got even more groped at than those who actually performed. Men were weird.

“Yeah. They’ve just been here two weeks ago” you gave a shrug

“I don’t think that the boss himself would come for that. He’d send his men to get the money. I mean… he probably has ‘needs’ too and that’s why he’s here”

“To be honest I’m scared of the third one” he discreetly pointed at the one sitting on the right side of the couch “He doesn’t look happy at all. And usually such people cause trouble. It wouldn’t wonder me if he suddenly got up and took out his gun”

“Didn’t they have to give away their weapons when they came?”

“Well we could hardly ask a mobster boss, the one who protects us, on top of that, to hand in their weapons. Besides, they still would have one hidden somewhere. They’re married to their weapons” you shrugged but your look still fell to the hidden gun that was under the counter, just in case something happened one day.

-

As the night went on, more and more of the dancers left with customers for what you jokingly called ‘bedwarming’. It meant that your friends went to one of the rooms with guests for sex. Since you were less people then, also some of the younger girls, namely the underage would come to help working behind the bar while the ones who were of age took over on the show floor or brought drinks there. Because you didn’t want the underage girls to have to leave the safe space behind the bar counter. So you too had to give your apron to one of them in order to entertain the customers. Going there was always weird at first but after a few minutes you started to relax a bit. At least as much as you could. As always, you left the entertainment floor whenever you saw a customer trying to be rude to one of the women or when you caught them slapping someone’s ass. You couldn’t believe how some men just couldn’t stick to the simple rules and just keep their hands to themselves. Theresa once had suggested to cut off people’s hands if they kept touching you or castrate them if they did worse. To your surprise, not many were in favor of that but you doubted it would have been done anyway. After you had just more or less pushed a drunk customer away from one a sixteen-year-old and scolded him thoroughly for his behavior, you heard someone calling for you. It was the mobster boss. With a look to your green armband, you considered just ignoring him since you had every right to do so. But somehow you couldn’t really say no so you went closer and stood at the backside of the couch, looking mostly at Helen, who sat in the doctor’s lap.

“Yes?” you asked. The boss pointed in the direction of the girl you had just helped

“Do such things happen often? I mean you are a nightclub but I know but this is one where everything that happens has to be consensual or people get thrown out”

“Do you mean if people think they can do whatever they want?”

“Yeah”

“Well it depends. Most regulars don’t. It usually are new people, especially when they’re drunk. But it never gets really bad because almost every time someone tells the offenders off immediately. But I guess with time you get used to little slaps on the ass. You learn to live with it. But we try to protect the younger ones” you gave a shrug and didn’t know if you should mention how bad the other two mobster families were and that they sometimes even abducted some of your friends. Others had gotten injured by them, like you, who had a small scar on the front of your shoulder when one of the Klingonas has caught you with his knife when you had tried to help one of your friends. As your cut got treated you had made up your mind that you’d learn some medic basics as well to treat your friends if needed. Luckily that wasn’t too often.

“I see” you only gave a nod

“Is there something else I can do for you? I think I should get back to work, otherwise”

“You do not need to stay” the dark-haired man no one had ever seen before spoke.

“Oh come on, she’s the fifth woman you send away tonight” as it seemed, his friend was not impressed by that.

“In fact, you should not have even called her over, seeing that she wears green armbands”

“Oh, I’m sorry” the boss turned to you “I didn’t see that. I mean I did see but I didn’t think of it. But I really only wanted to ask you about the incident”

“It’s okay, no harm done” you replied “We’re used to worse. Some people just actually seem to be color blind. Or unable to count” because it wasn’t just about the colors of the bands you had. Because white only had one armband, while the green was worn on both arms and the red bands mounted up to three bands. So that no one could claim he couldn’t see the color right.

“Ah” the boss replied “Then I suppose I can’t ask if you’d like to join us for a drink? You need to do nothing, just tell me a bit more about the people who work here” he nodded his head to the mysterious man on his right “Because we need someone for him. For the night”

“As I have told you 14 times, I still insist that this is not necessary”

“Shut up” he looked back to you and you gave a nod. There was a rule that went above the colors. If a customer asked you to join them for a drink you had to agree, unless it was obvious he wanted more than just a drink. Because it was, among other, your job to animate them to drink more, which of course gave more money.

“Okay” you also said and considered if you should get the drinks yourself or call for one of the others. Finally, you decided to do the first and went to the bar after you took their orders

“What are you doing?” Garett approached you “You’re assigned to entertain”

“I know. But they asked me to join them for some drinks” you nodded towards the mobsters

“Good. Try to make them happy. The one on the right doesn’t look like he’s here for fun”

“Has anyone found out something about him?”

“He’s the underboss, nicknamed the Hacker. Is apparently said to be a real genius” he nodded at you and leant in “And you know that usually, our customers aren’t the most intelligent people, so I’m not too sure about him” you gave a nod.

“I’ll make sure to keep him distracted” you promised and took the drinks to the couch and then stood in front of the small table awkwardly

“You can sit down, it’s okay” he patted the couch, moving away a little to make more room for you and you were glad because usually ‘sit down’ meant you should have a seat in the man’s lap. You sat down on the couch, between the boss and his underboss. Suddenly you felt like you had during your first interaction with a customer. You had only been 17 and he had asked you to sit with him. The conversation had soon gotten awkward and luckily someone else came and sent you away, claiming you were needed elsewhere and that she’d take care of the customer. “Alright” the boss looked at you again “Can I ask what your name is? Stage name or real name, whatever you prefer”

“My real name is (Y/N)”

“Okay, (Y/N). Who do you think could be the right woman for him?” he nodded again to his subordinate.

“Eh” you looked at him for a long while, then gave a shrug

“You intimidate her, Spock” you heard the doctor say “I told you we should have gotten him a new electrical device he can play with. Although I do enjoy myself pretty much” he nuzzled Helen’s neck, making her giggle her ‘customer giggle’. Meanwhile, you were trying to find a good answer. But usually you had never been asked such questions. Only what sexual preferences you had or what you’d be willing to do.

“What does he like? What kind of women?”

“That’s the thing… I don’t even know. As far as I know, he’s never even been with someone”

“Hm okay” you thought what to do with this information “Well I think then I believe it is better to ask one of women who are more experienced. But there still are many of them. And everyone likes different things”

“Alright then, tell this lady what you are into”

“I doubt that ‘lady’ is an appropriate description for her, seeing what her profession is” you always were told to smile around customers and never let them know if you felt down. That usually also meant you could not defend yourself when you felt insulted, just like now.

“Now what the fuck was that?” the doctor hissed, pulling away from Helen “That was totally inappropriate, you-you heartless creature”

“As a doctor you should know that creatures require a heart to function”

“You can stick that sass and your smartassiness elsewhere. In fact I’d like to lend you a hand for that”

“Smartassiness is not a correct word”

“Yeah? Just a couple of days ago you claimed that nudiustertian was a word too during scrabble”

“It is and means…”

“Gentlemen…” the boss said placing a hand on each of their shoulders “We all know the ten golden rules. Please let’s just remember the fifth… I’m sure you both know it”

“Ask Mr. Smart-aleck over there. He could cite you all the rules in the wink of an eye”

“This would, however, be a violation of rule two”

“Spock… just apologize and let’s forget this”

“To whom?”

“Both Bones and (Y/N) then no one’s offended anymore”

“I don’t think an apology can always achieve that people are not really offended anymore” you said. The doctor laughed

“Spock, I think I found your soulmate” a part of you just wanted to leave but you saw that Garett was looking at you. Surely he had seen the fight that had almost broken out between the two Mafiosi.

“Well anyways…” the boss looked back to the man called Spock. “We’re here for your birthday so please tell us who you’d like”

“I suppose I have made my demand that I do not want this quite clear” there was a dangerous undertone in his voice and you couldn’t help but move away a tiny bit from him when you leant to the table to grab your drink. Rolling his eyes, the one in the middle pinched the bridge of his nose

“Alright. We don’t have all night. What are the prices to have one of you alone for the night? Or what do you recommend?” he looked at you

“Well, one hour is 100$, 3 hours are 200$, five hours are 300$ or the whole night respectively eight hours are 500$. Technically, I should recommend the most expensive version but from your point of view the last one probably makes most sense. Although, it already is almost half past one and you can only have the offer for 500$ until 2 AM. Or better said you can still have it after that but the woman will leave after 8 AM anyway, mostly earlier because the club closes at 7 in the morning and the woman might want to go to sleep. So maybe the five hours make most sense in that situation because if you start now it’ll almost be seven when you’re done and you can meet here again before we close”

“You can calculate?” the boss asked surprised

“It seems logical that the women are taught how to calculate, in case they are asked such questions or to ensure that no customers tries to pay too less”

“Ah all the programming and hacking has made your mind too logical” the doctor, Bones, teased again. The dark haired one shot him an angry glare “Oh sorry, I forgot, that was your family’s life motto, right? But you see where that brought them” a side glance told you that Spock had his hand over his gun. You gulped and didn’t know what to do. A part of you wondered if it was wise to try and distract him. But you weren’t sure how, because you were certain he wouldn’t like to be touched just like that. The boss sighed and got up

“Good, alright” he said and pointed at Bones “You, take her and get a room” he then looked to Spock, then to you “Would you like to take care of him? I’m not even asking him because he’ll say no anyway” now he turned to the underboss again “But it’s your birthday present and I told you many times that I won’t be persuaded to give you something else. As for me, I’ll get me another woman too and we’ll see each other in five hours”

“Err” you weren’t so sure. You usually didn’t agree instantly when a customer wanted you. But in that case you knew it was your job to keep them happy. “Yes” you said before you could change your mind. Of course you could not have known how his simple word that usually meant some money for you, would change your life forever.


	2. Chapter 2

“And where do I pay? Can I just give it to you, respectively the woman I choose?” the boss asked

“How do you mean that, will you pay for all of you?”

“Well, I invite him since it’s his birthday” he pointed at Spock “Bones pays for himself”

“Oh okay. Well you can pay us but the managers like it better when you approach them for the paying and then they’ll give us our share”

“Very well, let’s do that” Spock looked like he was about to protest and followed his boss, trying to tell him that he was about to waste the money because he would not need this ‘present’. You too followed them, a bit unsure what to do “You don’t need to do _it_. Just talk to her about your problems or I don’t know. Let her bear you company” Spock looked to you then tried to protest again “Well too late, I just payed” he waved a credit card in the man’s direction “Have fun” you moved closer to the underboss, completely lost about what you were supposed to do. Finally, you put a hand on his arm and told him you’d get a room.

“That is not necessary” he took out his wallet and “How much tipping is adequate?”

“What?” you were flabbergasted “That-that really depends. I mean on how happy you are with the service. But we usually get it at the end” he raised an eyebrow and tried to give you a 50$ bill

“Here. You may go back to work”

“Right now my job is to take care of you”

“I do not need this”

“But…” you looked at him, not sure what to do and pushed his hand with the money away “He paid for my services. It would be wrong to do something else. That would be an unjust gain”

“I’m certain you can need the money” again, he tried to make you take the money “I do not wish for your service”

“But what will you do then?”

“I will spend the night elsewhere and return to meet the others before the establishment closes”

“You mean go for a walk?”

“Perhaps” you thought for a while then gave a nod “I shall give you the money when a return” he announced and then went to leave.

“Wait” you shouted and he stopped, looking at you “I’m coming with you. I’ll walk with you. It is your birthday after all and I don’t want you to be alone” he raised an eyebrow and seemed like he was about to say no or just leave but then he gave a nod

“Very well” you smiled “However, you surely will need to put on something warmer” you looked down to your short and revealing dress

“Oh right. Give me a few minutes” you hurried to the stairs that brought you to the bedroom you shared with 4 other girls and went to the wardrobe. Usually you didn’t go out in cold or bad weather (in fact you even went out rarely although you had off one night per week) but you still owned some warm clothes. They weren’t yours since you all shared them. You put on a pantyhose and a coat and exchanged your shoes for some boots before running downstairs again. Somehow you had thought that Spock would have left but he still stood where he had before only that he now was wearing a coat. He eyed you quickly but then started going outside.

“Where are you going?” Oliver, who had just come from his office near the entrance approached you

“Uh…”

“I requested that we go for a walk” Spock said and placed a hand on your arm

“Of course. I’m sorry. I just thought you’d leave before your shift is over” you tried your best not to roll your eyes as you followed the mobster outside.

“Sorry. That was Oliver. The owner of the place. He can get a bit… well you’ve just seen” you apologized once you were in the cold night. With a big smile you let out a sigh and spread your arms.

“You do not seem to get outside quite often”

“Yeah. The only time we really are outside is to clean something or when we have a night off and we go shopping a bit or so. But we’re never alone because we always get told the streets are dangerous. And we also never really go out in winter. Only when it snows for once because the little ones really seem to like that. Okay, we all do”

“Little ones? Are you referring to children that were conceived?”

“No, we all have a hormone spiral for contraception and unless the man can prove that he doesn’t suffer from any sexually transmitted diseases we have a strict condom requirement”

“Then what children did you mean?” you looked at him

“You don’t know how this club works? Almost everyone who lives here has no other home. Got thrown out at home, lost their parents or something. But some even were brought here as small kids or even babies, when their parents don’t want them. We have a so called ‘baby-portal’ at back of the building. It kinda works like a catflap, just that you can put your baby through it. Although I don’t know why some parents just bring them to an orphanage… But anyway, these kids will grow up here and we all share the task of raising them. But it’s a bit difficult because the little ones mostly are awake during the day while we sleep. That’s why some of the fifteen and sixteen year old will just be the babysitters. And Theresa of course. She’s something like a mother to all the younger of us and a big sister for the one over 25.”

“I cannot imagine that this is a good environment for a child to grow up” you gave a shrug

“We actually are quite protected until we’re of age. I mean I had no idea what was going on here until I was like six or so. Okay, until then no one of the other girls was working there yet. And when they’re ten they can help clean or tidy up the bar during the day. And at around fourteen you will also need to take care of the ‘guestrooms’ and clean them so you kind of get slowly introduced to the métier. When they’re sixteen or seventeen they can also start working during the night but only serving, mostly behind the counter, and they’re not allowed to have sex, unless they really want to. But the prices for that are also 10% more and they get 25% of the winnings. Maybe that’s why they sometimes agree. I don’t know if Ollie does this on purpose, to kinda lure them into having sex earlier. As if we were not enough women” you gave a shrug.

“How many women are living there?”

“Good question. I’d say we are 37 that are of age, around six that are between thirteen and eighteen and seven that are younger. And then there are about ten external women that just come to work here in the night but they mostly only come to have sex. I mean in total there are more of them but per night about ten come. Because as you already heard, we get off one night per week. Sometimes even two. But it can’t be on Friday or Saturday, unless it’s an emergency because that’s when most people come. But back to the age, not everyone knows everyone’s exact age or birthdays. Besides, age often is just a number because there are one seventeen year old that are much more interested in clients than older ones, like me”

“Might I ask how old you were when you came here?”

“A baby. According to Theresa only a couple of days old”

“I suppose that most of you do not know anything about your real families?”

“No, we don’t. But it’s safe to assume that we were not born to ‘normal’ families. Like maybe to women who don’t have means to raise a child. Or maybe a mobster who wanted a boy instead of a girl” you shrugged “in the end, some of us might even be related but we don’t know. Which sometimes makes me think that basically any customer could be your own father or mother”

“I understand” you wanted to ask him too about his own family or how he joined the mafia but you were certain you wouldn’t get an answer and you didn’t want to make him mad. For a while you walked in silence then he asked if you were happy with your life

“I mean I don’t know anything else. We’re all taken care of and the job itself isn’t so bad. Sure, there are a few rude customers but we all look out for each other and the real bad ones get kicked out or are even banned from coming again. And we get taught a few basics things. Like reading, math and general knowledge. We don’t get much money but everything we need is paid for. Like we can live here, get clothing, food, some entertainment for free. We can keep the tip though and each time we offer paid service we get 20% of the winnings, so I made 60$ tonight. No wait, I got like 5$ tips too” you shrugged “it’s not like we could do much with that money anyway. I mean we mostly use it to buy us new stuff that the managers won’t give us, like a new movie or special clothing or we do something fun together. Others want to buy themselves free and start an own life. Most of us dream of this but not many do it because even if we got the money to buy us free, we still need a huge amount of it to start our new lives. Besides, we are registered nowhere, in no system and there’s no birth certificate or any kind of identity papers. Which means we couldn’t even get a house or something. And you can’t just live at our place and not work there. If you refuse to work, you get kicked out. Happened to three people I know. Some leave and join one of the mafia families but I don’t think that’s something for me. No offence. In a way I am also glad this place exists because it helps ensure that forced prostitution is stopped a bit. Although it seems to encourage other Mafia families that they could abduct us. The Romulanos got at least two of my friends. That’s one of the reasons we don’t like going out because then we’re on our own. No one likes it when the Romulanos or the Klingonas come to the Stella because everyone’s afraid they do something. The males working don’t seem to mind too much but we females often are terrified. And it’s not rare that when some of the Romulanos or the Klingonas come, they will not get much attention. Which is often because they believe they can be rude to us. But in a way it’s their own fault. We have the right to say no and if people are behaving like they own us, we will just say no”

“Do your superiors encourage you to decline such customer’s requests?”

“Yes. Mostly. I mean, some of them know us since we were quite little and we’re like little sisters for them. We all protect each other. Besides, they think it is important to make sure that we are happy. There are only eight males working for the Stella. If we wanted, we women could overpower them and have Theresa take over the club. Not that we would do that but they had no chance against us. After all they teach us some self-defense so that we can do something against customers that try to force themselves upon us. Besides, I wanted to say thank you”

“For what?”

“Protecting us. I know that Oliver has to pay your family, the Azienda, money every few months and in return you protect us from other Mafia families” to your surprise he remained quiet and said nothing for a long time. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I am. The Azienda does not approve of sex trafficking or forced prostitution” he finally said “Therefore it is a common interest that we assure this does not happen to any of the employees of the Stella” you gave a nod. Again you were silent and you were searching for something that you could talk about, respectively something you could ask him. Finally you just decided to tell him more about the Stella

“Oliver’s older brother founded it about thirty-eight years ago. I mean it existed before but it was just a hotel and bar that didn’t throw off much profit. It belonged to his father and Martin got the idea a bit after someone had ‘left’ a baby in one of the rooms. Like a guest must have given birth to her and just left without the baby. He could not reach her parents so he decided to keep her as his daughter. That’s Theresa. But soon someone dropped girl twins at the doorstep and he didn’t know what to do because the hotel was in debt. A female employee apparently joked that he should open a brothel and he did. First he only let women work that didn’t live here, of course because well, he couldn’t let babies do that. Soon the business boomed and he also got more little girls to take care of. I think that around the time I was five or six, they could let women that grew up there started to work there as erotic workers. Except for Theresa, because she was like an actual daughter to Martin. But she takes care of the kids and helps us with anything. I mean she is quite like a mother for us”

“Might I ask what has happened to Martin? Do you have a father figure as well?”

“Martin was killed when I was very little. Apparently, someone wanted to buy the place or just gave him the idea to exploit us women and when he refused the guy killed him. So Ollie took over. Some consider him as a father but we don’t really have much contact to him. At least not until we’re old enough to help something in the bar. Like cleaning during the day. But as I already said, most other male employees are like big brothers. And somehow, the other workers are mostly considered friends or even sisters. Of course there also are some that I don’t like. And we all really love the little ones and we all help raising them a bit” you sighed. “Sometimes I too try to imagine what my life would have been like if my parents had not dropped me at the baby-portal. But you know, somehow I prefer that life to one with parents who would not have loved me. Sorry if I am bothering you with all my talking… but you know, I don’t really find people I can talk to like this. Everyone at the Stella knows about the club and most customers are not even interested in our backgrounds. They just more or less care about our bodies”

“There is no reason for an apology”

“If you want to change the topic, just tell me. I mean I could ask you questions about you but I don’t think you’d answer them. I mean not just about you but about the Azienda in general. But you’re not allowed to tell me, I know that. Oh no wait, I do have a question. When we were back in the club, the doctor, Bones, said that you once have used a strange word during… scrabby? What was the word again? undisterain?

“The game is called scrabble. And the word is nudiustertian. I assume you wish to know what it means?”

“Yes. Also, what is scrabble?”

“It is a game where you need to spell words using tiles with a letter on them. Nudiustertian refers to the day before yesterday”

“That’s a lot shorter” you almost giggled “And do you think I could play scrabble once? But I’m not good at spelling. And I don’t know many words”

“I’m certain you could buy the game somewhere if you want to try it with your friends. It can also be played alone”

“Oh” you gave a nod “Thank you. But maybe I should buy myself also a dictionary for that”

“Yes it is always good to be able to proof that the word you have spelled exists”

“Although I don’t think I could come up with words of which people would think that they don’t exist. I didn’t even know that there is a word for the day before yesterday. Nudiustertan?”

“Nudiustertian. If it consoles you it is not a word many people know. Even the doctor was not aware of its existence” you chuckled

“Right. You two don’t seem to be great friends”

“Our relationship is complicated. We respect each other but I don’t know if we could call us friends”

“But it seems like both of you have a friend in the boss. If I can ask that”

“Yes, we have a mutual friend in Jim” you nodded

“So this was your first visit to an erotic club?”

“Indeed. I have other things in mind”

“Was that also the reason you didn’t want to have sex with me?”

“I merely think it should not done lightly. For me, sex should only happen with a partner you love. Besides, you did not seem very convinced to spend the night with me. You were reluctant to agree to be with me” you looked down, not sure what to say.

“I know that many people do sex only for love. But what do I know of that? The biological reason for it is to have kids”

“I know” you started rubbing your hands together because they were cold

“I don’t want to be rude but… Garett told me that apparently you are a genius. Is it true?” he raised an eyebrow.

“I possess several degrees in different scientific areas”

“Oh did you study at a university?”

“Yes I did. Almost everyone from my family has”

“You mean the mafia family? The Azienda? But then the doctor probably would know nudiustertian too. Oops, I probably shouldn’t have asked that”

“No, the question is all right. I was referring to my birth family, respectively the Mafia family I descend from”

“Isn’t it unusual that you would join another family?” he was silent for a few moments and you considered if you had gone too far.

“The circumstances were special” you frowned

“Has it anything to do with happened to your family? I mean Bones had mentioned them and meant something like ‘see what it brought them’ as if something bad happened to them”

“You seem very attentive and good at remember information” you gave a shrug

“Well if you grow up like me you learn to listen closely to others. Because you hear stuff you wouldn’t hear if you didn’t. Because to some customers we’re invisible and they’re just discussing business while one of us is sitting with them. Others just are willing to tell us everything because they think we’re too stupid to know what they talk. Petra told me that someone has admitted he murdered someone while they had sex” you gave a shrug “Sometimes men are weird” he said nothing and you didn’t know if you should ask him about his family again or just leave it and change the topic.

“I suppose you still want an answer to your question about the fate of my family?” you looked at him in surprise

“Only if you are comfortable with sharing” again he was quiet

“If you do not mind I will show you” somehow, these words alarmed you and you didn’t know what to say. After all you had always been taught to be careful, especially on the streets. But until now it had never occurred to you that your companion would want you ill. Now, however, you suddenly had to consider the possibility that he had not so honorable intentions and you felt yourself back away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo the first three chapters were something like a pickup, and with the next chapter the real story starts. And from then on updates will be less often, I haven't settled on a schedule yet because I'm also currently publishing the story on my tumblr...  
> Anyways, enjoy!

“I-I…” you stuttered, not sure what you wanted to say. You were trembling and he looked at you, almost concerned

“Have I said something wrong?” you shook your head and a part of you just wanted to run away. “Something seems to have upset you” you gulped and when he came closer you stood there like frozen and closed your eyes. Despite everything, your hand wandered into your pocket where you knew to be a small knife. There were little knives in all bags and jackets you had at the Stella, just in case something happened while you were out. Some even had pepper sprays in them and you knew of two little guns that were somewhere as well. “Do you wish to return to the Stella?” when you didn’t reply, you felt a hand on your arm which wandered to your hand “You are cold” he said and then the hand was gone. Now you opened your eyes again and saw how he was searching his own coat pockets and then held out a pair of leather gloves to you “Here take these, please” you stared at him, not sure what to do. For some odd reason, your hand let go of the knife and you took the gloves instead, slipping them onto your hands. They were too big but at least your hands weren’t that cold anymore

“Thanks” you whispered.

“Are you certain you are alright?” he tilted his head a bit and again tried to reach out for you but you stepped back “Has it to do with what I said about showing you what has happened to my family?” you gave a shrug “Should I have offended you or made you afraid in any way I apologize” he was silent “If you wish I will bring you back to the nightclub” you still didn’t reply. He took out a cellphone from his bag “Here, you may call them if you want. Or order you a taxi” you couldn’t help but think that this was a trap. The second you took the phone he would grab you, so you shook your head “Then please tell me what is bothering you” he sounded desperate and you almost laughed. How could you tell him ‘Hey I’m afraid you could abduct me or just rape or kill me’? “Very well” he said and put his phone away again “I will accompany you back to the club”

“No” you pulled away and were surprised by your own reaction. The truth was, you didn’t want him to bring you back, you wanted to spend the rest of the night with him. But you couldn’t tell him that either. “I…” you sighed and when you looked at him and saw the expression in his eyes something just told you that this man didn’t seem capable of hurting you. Unless he was an expert at hiding and faking emotions. For that reason you just decided to tell him about your worries. When you were done, he gently placed his right hand on your upper arm

“I understand your worries. But I assure you that I will not harm you or ask anything of you that you are not willing to do. Furthermore, as I have mentioned earlier the Azienda disapproves of all forms of non-consensual prostitution or killing or harming outsiders without reason. So if I did something to you, I would risk my position, which is not worth it. Please forgive me that I have scared you” you couldn’t help but smile

“No, I might have been a bit paranoid”

“Not at all. It is good to be constantly vigilant” he let go of you “Now, please let me make sure that you are not cold anymore” you looked up at him and nodded “Are you hungry?”

“Yes. I mean it usually would be time for lunch soon. I know, you usually have lunch in the daytime but the night is our day, so well. I know a hot dog stand that is nearby. We could get us one there” you were more or less pulling on his sleeve

“(Y/N)” he said sounding concerned, not making a move

“Huh?”

“I do not eat meat”

“Oh. Why?” he explained that he didn’t think it was right to kill animals what almost made you smile. Killing people was his daily business but harming animals was something he disapproved of. Somehow you found this weird. But also… cute. “Did you know we have a cat? I mean at the Stella. She’s our pet. Her name is Twinkle. You know, like in the song where the star twinkles because Stella means star.”

“No I did not”

“Do you have a pet?”

“No. However, I had one when I was a child”

“Okay. But where are we gonna get food then”

“I know a small diner not too far away. I suppose we could go there”

“A diner? You mean like a restaurant where you can sit down and eat?”

“Am I right to assume you have never been to one?”

“No. Because we thought that was a bit too expensive. I mean I make about 100$ a week if I’m lucky. And only if I actually have sex. Or at least spend time with customers alone.”

“Does that mean you do not usually agree to spend the night with men?”

“No. About once per week and only if I feel like it. But most of them don’t really just want sex if they book us. They often just want to cuddle a bit or talk. I mean with time you get to know a few people and what they like and they also sometimes will request for you directly” on the way to the diner you told him a bit more about the topic but then you only had eyes for the little restaurant and stared at everything with great interest and walked to the bar

“Hello, what shall it be?”

“Uh” you said and pulled a menu over after taking off his gloves. With a smile you registered that it was the card for drinks. You knew the drinks of the Stella by heart as well as the prices and how to prepare them. “Look” you said, showing Spock the paper “They have the same drinks like we!”

“Could we have a table for two please?” he asked and when the man behind the counter pointed at one quite close to the bar, you nodded taking the drink-menu with you as you went there.

“Is it always so empty?” you had now found the menu for meals and started studying it. “So many things”

“I do not know this diner so well but I suppose it is not well visited because of the time”

“Oh right. Where do you eat then? Another diner?”

“I do not usually eat in diners”

“Why?” he was silent and you thought the question had offended him “Oh I think I know. 16$ for salad? 14$ for a burger? That’s a rip-off”

“No” he said, making you look at him “I do not go to diners because I prefer other ambiences”

“Oh. Then let’s go to a place you like”

“That will not be necessary. Besides, we came here because I do not want you to get even colder and I doubt that other restaurants would still have open at that time”

“Oh” you gave a nod and a waitress came over

“Hello I’m Jennifer and I’ll be taking care of you tonight” you tilted your head. She sounded quite a lot like some of your friends introduced themselves to customers back home. Maybe a diner had a ‘special service’ too? Somehow it offended you because _you_ were assigned to take care of Spock. “What can I bring you?” you shrugged and reached to your boot to take out your money

“What do you have below 10$? Ah no wait, I have 12” you put the money on the table and the woman eyed you with a critical glance.

“I suppose a soup would be adequate to warm up?” Spock asked

“Err. What soups do you have?”

“Vegetable soup, chicken soup, pumpkin or tomato soup. The first two are 9 respectively 10$”

“Okay then I’ll have a vegetable soup” you said with a nod. Somehow you would have preferred chicken soup but Spock said he didn’t eat meat, so you found this was better.

“What can I bring you, Sir?”

“Nothing, thank you”

“Very well. But we still have Happy Hour for about another half an hour, if you buy one alcoholic drink you get one free”

“No” you corrected “Happy hour starts at 4 AM and you get 30% on drinks. Unless you just booked a girl, then you get a drink for 80% off”

“What is she talking about?” Jennifer asked

“She has confused it for the Happy Hours with the bar she works at” she gave a nod and left.

“I haven’t confused anything! I know exactly when Happy Hours are because I have to tell every customer shortly before! That must be a…”

“(Y/N)” he said “Happy Hours can vary from establishment to establishment, as does the discount”

“Oh alright. Sorry” you were again studying the drinks and tried to compare them to the ones you had at the Stella. To your surprise, they were cheaper here (unless for the employees of course because workers at the Stella got anything for free if they drank with customers. If you just wanted a drink for yourself it was half a dollar or one dollar each) One day when you had been younger, some of your friends and you had sneaked down when you were supposed to sleep in order to drink some alcohol. Theresa and Ollie had not been pleased when they had found you. Jennifer was back quite soon and placed a jug with water on the table. You looked at her “We didn’t order that” you said afraid you’d have to pay for it and then wouldn’t have enough money. Again, Jennifer looked at your companion as if she expected an explanation. But instead, Spock explained you that it was custom to get a jug of water for free for each meal “Oh that’s nice. You have to pay for water at our place” you took the jug and filled your glass that Jennifer had placed on the table as well. “Do you want some too?” you asked the man but he shook his head

“No thank you” you gave a nod and took a sip.

“Oh. Faucet water” putting the glass back on the table, you let out a sigh “Are you sure you don’t want anything?”

“Yes I am. I do not believe it would be beneficial for my usual eating pattern” you gave a shrug

“Couldn’t you also say that staying up a night could fuck up your sleep schedule?” you took another sip and could have almost sworn to have seen him smile a bit

“Probably. However, I do sometimes need to go without sleep for a night”

“Because of work?”

“Yes”

“Wait, I think I need to go to the toilet” he gave a nod and you hurried away, searching for the restrooms. By the time you came back, you saw a plate of soup already sitting there “Yum. Looks tasty” you said as you sat back down and picked up your spoon to start eating. “Hm it’s good. And warm. I didn’t know I was that hungry” you said when you heard your stomach growl and chuckled, instantly covering your mouth and apologizing. After all you should never behave childish around customers.

“What do you apologize for?”

“Laughing”

“Do not” he simply said, making you frown before taking your next spoon. As you were eating in silence, suddenly the door opened and two men that seemed pretty drunk entered.

“Hello handsome” the one on the left shouted into the direction of the bar and you saw Jennifer appear

“How can I help you?”

“It’s still happy hour, right?”

“Until 3 AM, yes”

“Perfect. Then get to your knees and make me happy” they both were laughing. Apparently customers of a diner weren’t that civilized either. You put your spoon away and glared at the two men.

“If I were you I’d cut it right now or you won’t get anything. Besides, she is already assigned to serve _us_ tonight”

“Oh so what? Are you gonna take over for her instead?” they came closer to your table and you tried not to roll your eyes

“No. I’m not free tonight either” you said, matter-of-factly “Besides I’d never agree after you ask me like this” the one on the right nudged his friend

“Well, would you like to suck my dick tomorrow then?” he tried to touch you but you moved back.

“I’m not the one to decide that. Come to the Stella tomorrow night and you might get what you want”

“We can do it right here, on the table”

“That is enough” Spock said

“Shut it, no one’s asked you”

“I insist that you leave both females alone”

“Or what? Are you trying to pick a fight?”

“If I wanted to harm you I would have long done so. However, that might change if you do not comply”

“Pity I’d like to try and see you fight me, pussy” he turned back to you “What do you say?” to your dismay he sat down beside you and placed a hand on your thigh, gently rubbing it.

“Stop that, I did not give you permission to touch me”

“I don’t need your permission, whore. I know where you work. I know what you are. Your ‘permission’ is worthless” Spock got up

“I demand that you remove your hand, apologize and leave this place” also the man stood up again

“Come on man. I know you booked her services but what about a deal? Ten bucks for five minutes, huh? She’s eating now anyway so you couldn’t use her anyway” before you had really registered it, Spock had slammed the man down onto the table, twisting his arm on his back. You winced and tried to move away.

“Counter suggestion” he said calmly and suddenly there was a knife at the drunken man’s throat. “Five liters” Behind the counter, you saw Jennifer uttering a curse and her co-worker looked a bit pale. The mobster leant down to the man and whispered “Approximately five liters of blood are circulating through your body. Leave now and you may take all of it with you”

“Hey man” the second man, who too looked quite shocked, said and stepped back. “We didn’t mean trouble we were just leaving”

“Yeah, we’re sorry. We were only joking a bit” the other one agreed and Spock pulled him back up, pushing him away

“Your sense of humor is questionable” he said “leave!” the two men didn’t waste a second and hurried out.

“Are you okay?” you asked your companion once he sat back down, putting his knife back

“I should be asking you”

“I’m used to this. I could have handled it” you said quietly “But thanks” Jennifer came over to you and thanked you for intervening and wanted to know if you were okay. From her behavior you concluded that she hadn’t seen that Spock had been that close to killing the other man. In silence you continued eating and almost as soon as you were done, Spock asked if you wanted something else “No, I’m good. I mean I’m not hungry anymore and I feel warm now” and you also didn’t have more money to get something else. He gave a nod and asked for the check. When Jennifer brought it, he placed a twenty dollar bill on the small plate that came with the check “Hey, what are you doing?” you asked, trying to put your own 10$ onto the plate instead “That was my meal, so I pay”

“No it is fine. I will pay”

“No it’s not fine” you insisted trying to give him back his money “I earn money myself and can pay for my stuff”

“I insist” he said, sliding your own money back to you and putting his money back to the check. His look was determined and you gulped, knowing that you could not sway him.

“Fine. But then subtract that from the tip you wanted to give me” you muttered as you toyed with your money “Thank you”

“There is no reason to thank me. It has been my idea to go here, therefore I pay. Besides, you are assigned to me, which means I should take care of you” you felt your cheeks heat up.

“Thank you” you repeated and Jennifer came back, took the plate with the money and shortly after returned with the change. He took some of the money, then looked at you

“Let us go” he got up and you stared at the three dollar on the plate

“You forgot some money”

“No, everything as it should be. That is the tip”

“Oh right. Should have known. I just think that’s a bit much. Considering the soup was 9$”

“I know but 15-20% of the price is an adequate tip”

“So about what we get. But she does get other money too, right?”

“Yes, however, the wage waiters and waitresses are paid is often not enough”

“Right and she can’t live here and get food for free, can she?”

“No” you gave a nod and on your way outside you put his gloves back on and closed your jacket a bit because it had gotten even colder by now.

“Thank you” you said again, not really knowing for what exactly thanked him. Except for being so nice. For some time you walked, sometimes talking about rather trivial things and you had the impression he was quite surprised how much you knew about certain topics. Then suddenly, he stopped in front of a ruined building. “Is something wrong?” you asked, noticing he was looking at it for quite a while already.

“Previously you have asked me what has become of my birth family”

“Uh yes?” a muscle in his jaw twitched and you put two and two together “That was the house you lived, right? Was it destroyed and your family killed?” a couple of seconds later he gave a nod

“Only my father, I and two men of honor survived because we have not been home at the time”

“I…” you didn’t know what to say but you placed a hand on his upper arm “I’m so sorry”

“You do not need to apologize. You had nothing to do with it”

“But I asked you what happened to your family. Without me you…”

“I would have come here anyway tonight” he said and took out a small envelope from his pocket stepped closer to the ruin and put it under a stone. When he noticed that you were looking at him he explained that it was a letter to his mother.

“Have you ever found out who did it?”

“A radical side group of the Romulano family. Led by an individual with the alias Nero”

“What became of him or his friends?” you asked and Spock only raised an eyebrow and you could guess the answer “Oh well... Serves him right. Can I ask when it happened?”

“Soon it will have been 6 years ago” you frowned

“If it was that long ago, why does everything here still look like this? I would have thought the city would have gotten rid of all the rubble”

“They would have, had my father not bought the site and given the city council a small… subsidy”

“I see” you gave a nod “Can I ask what happened that your father and you survived?”

“There was something we had to take care of outside of San Francisco. More I cannot tell you”

“Okay. And do you know why he did it? Nero?”

“He would not give us a suitable answer but I suppose it is because he has lost his wife and unborn child shortly before and has searched for a way to vent his anger. Probably destroying the Vulcano Family, one of their biggest enemies, seemed adequate to him” again, you placed a hand on his arm and gently rubbed it

“Can I ask what your father does now?”

“According to the family hierarchy, he would have taken over the lead but with only me, two soldiers and a few associates left, he had decided to dissolve the business and encouraged us to join one of the smaller families of San Francisco or come with him because he could not bear to be here any longer which is why he is living in Chicago. I however wished to stay here since I found it necessary to keep an eye on the other Romulanos and since I have been acquainted to someone of the Azienda, I have been offered to join them instead”

-

In the end you came back to the Stella a bit after 7 AM and Jim and Bones were already waiting outside

“There you are! I thought you had already left. Where the fuck have you been?”

“A bit of walking can’t hurt after sex” The doctor said, nudging his friend in the side

“Come on, let’s go home. Business doesn’t wait” Jim then said.

“You may go ahead. There is something I need to take care of first”

“Oh what now?” Bones chuckled, slapping Spock’s back “But have fun” Spock raised an eyebrow then turned to you after the two had left.

“I wanted to thank you” he said

“For what?”

“I greatly enjoyed our conversations”

“You’re welcome. And thanks too. Oh and before I forget it, I want to wish you a happy birthday”

“It has been yesterday but thank you” you smiled but it disappeared when you saw him pulling out a 100$ bill. “What’s this?”

“It is for you. Your tip”

“But… no. That’s too much”

“I was not aware that there is a maximum tip”

“There isn’t but… it’s not normal”

“Do you think your service for tonight was normal?”

“No. Not at all which makes this so… wrong. You even paid me a soup and…”

“Please, take it. I know you can need it” slowly you reached out to take the money and gulped, covering his hand for a while

“I don’t know what to say”

“Usually a thank-you would be adequate” you felt stupid

“Right. Thank you but… why?”

“As I have already told you, I truly enjoyed the night” you gave a small nod.

“Thank you”

“I believe that one thank-you is sufficient” there was a slight smirk on his face.

“But there has to be something like a ‘big thank you’. Because this really means a lot to me”

“As long it makes you happy it is alright” you gave a nod

“Yes, it does. Thanks” he placed a hand on your shoulder

“Please take care of yourself”

“I will. And you too” you swallowed “Will you come back one night?”

“I do not think so” you gave a nod and squeezed his lower arm “Unless my friends drag me back here again” you chuckled “Goodbye, (Y/N)” he offered you his hand and you shook it.

“Goodbye” once you were back inside, everyone wanted to know how it was but you managed to fob them off and get ready for bed. Once you lay there, you kept staring at the 100$ bill, not able to believe it was truly yours. Also your thoughts kept drifting back to the new friend you had made tonight and wondered if you’d ever see him again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains explicit violence, injuries and blood.. Please be careful if you have problems with that.  
> Enjoy!

While a ‘yes’ was the reason the whole thing started, it was a ‘no’ that brought you even deeper into the whole situation. This time, the word wasn’t directed at a customer but your friends. The situation had come to pass a couple of months after you had first met Spock. The only time you had met him. Usually, you forgot about customers quite quickly. Unless they were absolutely stupid or horrible like you had experienced it just a few weeks ago. But a ‘normal’ customer was there and afterwards you might remembered him for a few days, then the memory started to fade away until he came back. Spock, however was not someone you could forget. And not because you remembered him in the negative. Very much the opposite. Sometimes you would just throw a glance to the entrance door of the club, hoping to see him coming. But the only one of the Azienda who came was one of the Caporegime that came here more often. You believed that his nickname was Cupcake. But you couldn’t ask him if he knew something about Spock, after all he was his superior.

-

In May, you were out with friends and strolling along the piers of San Francisco’s East-Side with your ice creams. Suddenly, you heard voices and as so often, you decided it was better to stay out of sight and find out what was going on and if it was better to just leave as soon as possible.

“The Romulanos” Jackie whispered

“Are they robbing someone?”

“No. I think they’re killing someone” you looked at each other in shock

“Well, we don’t want to be seen here. Let’s go.” Aliza decided. The others gave a nod

“I hope it’s someone of their own. Or a Klingona. We could do with less of these idiots”

“(Y/N), you coming?” you hadn’t realized that you had done nothing to leave with the others and just wanted to do so when you heard something one of the Romulanos said. You didn’t hear anything but you were certain to have understood one word. _Vulcano_. And since you knew that there were only about two people of that family left, you found that the chance that they were speaking about Spock was pretty high. You made up your mind to edge a little closer and try to find out what they were doing, hoping it would be possible to warn others of the Azienda.

“(Y/N) come. We have to leave!”

“No” you said “I want to find out what they’re up to”

“Are you crazy? They’ll kill you or worse!”

“I’ll stay hidden” you promised

“Come on, let her stay” Jackie decided “I don’t want to risk my life because she finds she has to play the hero. Our only job is to please”

“Just try not to get killed or Oliver will never let any of us go out again”

“Shelia, Alexandra, Lana and Kate too disappeared when they were outside and yet we only got a lecture on being more careful”

“Yeah but we don’t want to add (Y/N) to that list of names too” you sighed

“I’ll be right back. Just five minutes” you said and before they could say something else, you went closer, always making sure you were somewhat hidden. Somehow you had no idea what exactly you were looking or better said listening for but suddenly you recognized a voice and it all made sense. Now you knew why Spock’s family was mentioned. As it seems the Romulanos were trying to kill him. You pressed your back against the wall of the building and took a deep breath. Of course you wanted to help but you had no idea how to do this and you put your hand in your bag to see what you had. As always a small knife and as it seemed someone had even left a pepper spray behind when she had last used the bag. You glanced at your ice cream cone and decided that it could be used as a weapon too if you rammed the tip of it into someone’s eye. Also the little plastic spoon could hurt if you used it right. The only bad thing was that you didn’t know how many of the Romulanos were there exactly. And they probably had weapons too. Finally, you just decided to walk closer and pretend you were interested in them and they’d soon get quite distracted. After you took a deep breath, you casually walked closer, eating your ice cream as if nothing was happening. Soon, they came into vision and you pretended to be surprised to see them “Oh” you said and stopped “Looks like you like this place to spend the night. The sight here is quite nice” you looked onto the sea and let out a sigh “Well then, have a nice evening” you said and walked away

“Don’t let her leave” one shouted and soon you heard how two of them were after you. You stopped and played innocent

“I’m sorry, I just often spend nights here, I didn’t want to make you mad by trying to ‘steal’ your spot. I’ll go somewhere else” but of course they didn’t listen and started dragging you towards the others. “Oh okay you look like you want some fun, huh? It’s my day off but if it makes you less mad that I came here that’s okay” your heart was pounding and you thought that it might break your ribs if it continued like that. Shortly before you reached the others, you ‘stumbled’, lost your right shoe and of course almost fell down that they had to hold you. “Oh shit I’m sorry” you mumbled and while they were pulling you back up, you finally reacted and rammed the end of the ice cream cone into the right man’s eye, while you got out the pepper spray to attack the other one. They both groaned and let go of you and you could also take the other two by surprise because they surely had thought you would try to run away instead towards them. You managed to tackle one around the waist and tried to send him to the ground but of course he was too heavy. Then someone grabbed you and tried to tear you away, which he finally managed, pressing you against his chest and you tried to kick him between the legs, which proved to be more difficult than you had believed. Unfortunately, the one who had gotten pepper spray to his face came towards you with a knife. He grabbed your chin and forced you to look at him

“Such a pretty face. A pity” you growled and tried to kick him between the legs but he managed to grab your ankle and then thrust the knife into the inner side of your thigh, making you scream in pain. He took out the knife but before he could do something else he was tackled from the side. Spock had used his own body to ram him and they went to the ground. The one holding you roughly pushed you aside and you fell down, hitting the back of your head at the bitt. It made you see stars and you just sat there, pressing a hand over the hurting part of your head while the other covered the stab wound on your thigh. You started to regret your decision but there was nothing you could do to change the situation now. You didn’t want to die but that meant you had to do something right now when the pain from your head had faded a little you grabbed your knife and tried to get over to Spock so that you could free his hands that were tied behind his back. You only hoped it weren’t handcuffs because although you knew how to open respectively crack them it would need more concentration then just cutting open a rope. Finally, you reached him and he seemed to notice what you wanted and turned around so that you could through the ziptie that bound his wrists together. He turned to face you, while his hand cupped your face, he took the knife with his other

“May I?” he asked and you only gave a weak nod. He probably had better chances to win the fight than you. You watched him a little but were in too much pain to do something yourself. Then, someone yanked you up and you felt a knife against your throat, while he was dragging you towards the edge of the concrete pier.

“Surrender or she dies” after a short while, Spock turned around pointing a gun in your direction. He shot and you pressed your eyes together with a scream. Shortly after, the Romulano holding you let go of you and you fell into the water. Probably Spock had hit him. Of course you had a whirlpool at the Stella but you couldn’t learn how to swim in that. So all you could do was hoping that your death would be quick. A part of you had the hope that maybe Spock would save you but you couldn’t count on that. He still was fighting off your attackers. The water also made your wound burn. Suddenly, Spock appeared at the edge of the pier and held out his hand

“Take my hand” he ordered but you could not move closer to it. Finally, he turned around and then leaned more over the edge so that you could finally touch his hand. He started pulling you closer and then out of the water, for which he requested your help, so you tried to pull yourself up too once your other hand could touch the concrete of the peer. Once you were on it, you lay down, breathing heavily “Are you alright?” he asked and you nodded with an agreeing sound and he instantly ran back towards one of your enemies and grabbing the back of his head to slam his face against his own knee. When you looked around, you saw that the three remaining Romulanos were lying around, either unconscious or dead. You hoped the first. Spock came back to you and kneeled in front of you, lifting up your face

“(Y/N) have you any other injuries beside the one on your thigh?” a part of you was surprised that he still remembered your name. And it also made you happy.

“Hmm head” you muttered and he carefully brought his hand to the back of your head and you saw that there was blood on it when he removed it. He let out a curse and pressed your own hand to the wound on your leg

“Keep applying pressure to the wound”

“I know. Stop the bleeding” he gave a nod before running towards a van that was standing a few meters away, ripping open the driver’s door and he started rummaging it. In the meanwhile, you tried to get back to your bag because you knew you had tissues in it which you could put over your wound.

“What are you doing?” you heard Spock shout as he ran back to you with a small case in his hands

“Compression dressing. Maybe I can use some paper tissues to put them underneath it” he only gave a nod and took the tissues out of the bag, pressing three of them over the wound before he tried to open the case with the left hand, while he pressed the other wrist against his chest “What’s wrong with it?” you said, pointing at said hand.

“I think it may be broken”

“Let me see”

“Later, the bleeding has to be stopped as soon as possible” you gave a nod and finally helped him open the kit that seemed to be a first aid kit. After rummaging it for a short time, he found the bandaging material and together you managed to wrap it tightly around your leg “What have you been thinking?” he asked.

“Think what?”

“You surely must have heard that someone was here. Why did you decide to come closer instead of leaving?” you gave a shrug

“I heard that you were there. I-I didn’t want them to hurt you” you admitted.

“You should have just left. They could have killed you. I was not worth the risk”

“I didn’t want you to die”

“You do not even know me” you shrugged and leaned your head against his shoulder

“I still like you, Spock” he didn’t reply

“You must be feeling cold” he said and took off his tail coat, handing it to you. With a smile you put it on and started wondering if he only wore suits or had also other clothes.

“Thanks” you whispered as he went behind you to have a look at the wound on your head

“I suppose I should disinfect it” you let out a groan but agreed. The burning pain made you hiss but soon he was done and he put all the medical tools back into the kit and closed it. He handed it to you and then proceeded to lift you up

“What-what are you doing?” you almost shrieked.

“We need to leave” he only said and carried you to the van, gently setting you down in the passenger seat and then carefully fastening your seatbelt. He then ran around the front and took a seat on the driver’s seat and started the engine. He winced when he touched the stick to his right at the bottom of the car and you remembered that he too was injured.

“Your wrist” you said “Let me have a look. You promised”

“They will wake up soon. We should not be around then anymore”

“I know but how do you want to drive then?” he looked at you

“Could you move the stick to the letter ‘D’?” you looked at him but complied, whereupon he started driving.

“No!” you shouted “You can’t drive like this”

“I can and it is necessary if you wish to survive” he managed to turn the car and then drive away from the pier, while you tried to move the stick back to the ‘P’ where it had been, knowing the he probably had to stop like that

“Stop” you said “I should take care of your wrist first”

“Even if you did I could not use it to operate the stick. Therefore it makes no difference”

“But you promised I could have a look. Besides, you might make the injury worse if you don’t let me help you” you glared at him and tried to move the stick again but it seemed to be jammed.

“That will not work unless I came to a full stop”

“Then stop!”

“Not as long as we are still too close” you groaned but soon there was a red street light and when he stopped you more or less yanked the stick back into the P. “What did you do?”

“Emergency stop” you said, not making any move to remove your hand from the stick so that he couldn’t do it with his other hand. He turned around and you did the same but regretted the movement when pain shot through your head.

“When another car comes and the light changes to green, I am required to drive”

“Then stop somewhere you can!” you glared at him and after a short sigh he agreed “You know”, you said a bit later “I’ve never been in a car. I mean a driving one. I only used the bus so far. Ah no wait, I think we once took a taxi. It was expensive but we got a small discount because Millie gave him a blowjob” he looked at you but said nothing, then stopped in a side alley and you instantly blocked the car again. After undoing your seatbelt, you moved closer to him and demanded to see his wrist. For a short while you examined it then decided that it really was broken “I can only try to stabilize it with something to wrap around it. Or a sling. But you definitely have to go and see a doctor so that it can be treated correctly” he gave a nod and you opened the med kit, trying to find something you could use to help him. After a bit of consideration you decided to make him a sling which you then helped put on “Just don’t move your hand. After you dropped me off home you need to see a doctor, like Bones”

“I will not bring you back to the Stella” he said

“What?” you felt panic rise inside you.

“You too require medical attention. I will take you with me” you rolled your eyes but knew that protesting would be of no use. Because your only way to get away was leaving the car and then you’d have to walk home with your leg. Because you had lost your bag with the money, so you couldn’t take the bus.

“Fine” you muttered “But I want to call the others so that they know where I am”

“I will take care of that”

“No. You’ll only be able to call the ‘public’ number. I know Ollie’s number, respectively the employee number. We can call there if we get in trouble while we’re out or so”

“I see” he said “Would you please move the gear shift again? To the R this time.”

“Sure” you did so and shortly after he was driving backwards. When you were back in the main road he stopped and wanted you to shift to the D again. For a while you were both silent but you noticed how he kept glancing over at you

“You should not have tried to help me”

“As I said, I couldn’t just let you die!” he slightly shook his head

“You could have died” he repeated

“You said that already. But I didn’t. Don’t try to tell me you’d have rather died” after that he was silent and you feared that you had angered him. But as your head lolled to your side because the pain got more intense he looked at you again

“Do you feel dizziness or nausea?”

“A bit dizzy” you mumbled “And I might throw up in your car”

“It is not mine”

“Good” you gave a nod, what increased your weird feeling

“You should better try not to move your head”

“Yeah” you whispered and tried to wrap his jacket tighter around you

“Are you cold? If you want I can stop and see if I find a blanket or something to warm you”

“How much longer does the drive take?”

“Approximately 7 to 9 minutes, depending on the traffic”

“Okay. I think that should be okay. Is Bones’ house warm?”

“He will be able to adjust the thermostat if you wish” you let out an agreeing hum leaned your head against the window. “Please try to stay conscious”

“Can’t promise” you mumbled. Somehow you had the feeling that he was driving even faster after that but you didn’t mind if he did. Then he stopped and asked you to put the stick back to the parking mode before he got out of the car and opened your door as well, it made you giggle, even more when he more or less tried to lift you out of the car “I can walk” you tried to assure him but he still remained on the side of your injury and wrapped your arm around his shoulder, therefore supporting you while walking. Spock had to ring the bell four times before the door opened and a groggy looking Bones opened in night clothes.

“What? Are you out of your goddamn mind to show up here in the middle of the night?”

“I would not be here if it was not an emergency” only now, the doctor seemed to notice you and he let out a curse

“Come in” Spock didn’t hesitate and pulled you with him “Where’d you find her? What were you even doing and what’s wrong with your arm?”

“I will answer all your questions, doctor. Now I solely wish to ensure that she’s taken care of”

“Very well” you were led to a room that looked a bit like hospitals in movies. Not that you had ever been to a real one. You had a doctor that would come to your place if you had an actual emergency. Or she’d bring them to her own place if it was something special. But so far you only had to call a doctor 18 times or so and only twice the person had to go with her. “Set her down here” he pointed at one of the beds and Spock helped you sit down on it “Alright, what happened?” Spock summed up what they had done to you but not how the situation had come to pass. In the meantime, Bones was having a look at the wound on your thigh “Oh shit that looks nasty” he muttered. “I’ll be right back. Try to get her lying down” carefully, Spock helped you to lay down on your side. To your surprise, he stayed with you and asked if you were comfortable

“Yes. Thank you” he gave a nod and to your surprise, he squeezed your hand

“I wanted to thank you for saving my life”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you didn’t die”

“As am I”


	5. Chapter 5

He only let go of your hand when the doctor returned with some tools.

“Seeing that you need to be treated in two places I suppose it can’t hurt to give you a full anesthesia and not just a local one”

“No” you shouted, trying to get up “Don’t! I don’t want to be unconscious” it was never good to be unconscious in your milieu. You were helpless and people could do whatever they wanted.

“You’d rather be in pain? Don’t be a baby”

“No, leave me alone. I-I can’t” you looked at Spock as if you wanted him to support you

“I must admit that her objection makes sense from her point of view and I can understand that she does not like being unconscious while around strangers”

“Makes sense? Who is that even?”

“(Y/N)”

“Ah yes of course I know exactly who you mean” his voice was full of sarcasm.

“She is one of the employees of the Stella” Spock helped

“The… how did… oh right on your birthday. But how the hell did you meet her? Were you there again? Without me?”

“No, I was not”

“Will you finally tell me what happened that you just happened to stumble upon a bar girl and a couple of Romulanos?”

“Technically I stumbled onto them” you corrected.

“Shh. No more talking. Just one question. When was your last tetanus shot?”

“What?”

“To prevent lockjaw? Ah you know what, I’m just gonna give you a shot. I doubt they give it to you guys” before you could even ask he took out a syringe and wanted to inject it to your thigh

“No” you shouted trying to push his hand away. “Don’t”

“Look, I can understand this freaks you out but if the wound infects with certain bacteria you will get very sick and then you die. This shot prevents that. Respectively gives you antibodies that will fight and kill the bad bacteria”

“I know what a shot does. But I’m scared” he exchanged a look with Spock then handed you the bottle he had taken the fluid out.

“Here. You can look up any substance you want. You’ll see that it will do you no harm” turning the bottle in your hand for a while you then gave a nod

“Okay. You can do it”

“Well that was hard” he handed you another little bottle “Here in the meanwhile you can have a look at the local anesthesia. In case you don’t know what it is, it will…”

“I know what it does” you said “I’m not stupid”

“I never claimed that” you let out a huff. “Also why are you wet?”

“I fell into the sea”

“How did that happen?” he looked at Spock again

“I will explain once she is taken care of”

“Well you better explain me what happened to your arm now”

“His wrist is broken” you said and Bones glared at him

“Well at least you stabilized it” he muttered then injected you the shot, making you fist the sheets “Do you allow me to give you the anesthesia?” you glanced at Spock, then back to the doctor. Spock took a seat on the bed, next to your head

“I will stay here with you if it calms you” you felt your cheeks heat up

“Okay” you whispered. The doctor injected the anesthesia and then said he’d have a look at the wound on your head until the medicine started working. He used the time to clean the wound on your head again and ask you if you had showed any signs of a concussion, gave you the anesthesia for there as well and then started examining the wound on your thigh. When you tried to have a look at what he was doing. Spock stopped you and you suggested that he was right, you didn’t want to see it. But of course you still wanted to know what he was doing so Spock summed it up for you. When the doctor was done, he moved on to the wound at the back of your head and said that all he could do was stitch it up and then keep you here until the morning so that he could monitor you.

“And you might want to change the clothes. I can have a look, maybe I still have something from Pam”

“Who’s Pam?”

“My ex-wife”

“You’re divorced?”

“Yeah. She left four years ago with no word. A week later the motion for the divorce arrived. Never heard of her or Jo again”

“Jo?”

“Our daughter”

“Hmm. We have a Josephine at the Stella” you said

“No, her name is Joanna. Besides, she’s only eight”

“Well, Josephine is twelve”

“You have twelve year olds working there?”

“Kind of. They help tidy up the rooms or the bar”

“How did she even get there?”

“She came to us when she was two, her parents apparently had died and her uncle dropped her off at our place”

“That’s barbaric”

“It’s normal. Almost everyone who lives there has been at the Stella since we’re children or babies”

“So that’s why we protect them against the authorities. Because none of them has any kind of identification papers probably”

“We don’t need them. We have our tattoo”

“Tattoo?”

“Yes. On the front side of our shoulder. A star and our name beneath it”

“When did you get that?”

“We get it almost as soon as we arrive at the Stella” somehow you had the impression that the doctor didn’t like that

“What if one of you decides that she doesn’t want to do that kind of work?”

“We always get told that it is not that bad. And we have nowhere else to go. Besides, if we refuse to work we can’t live there anymore. So we kind of get raised into it and we don’t really have choice”

“It seems like the owner of the place forgot to mention that. Are you at least treated alright?”

“Yes, of course. The only problems are some stupid customers but we’re allowed to tell them off and if they don’t stop, someone will kick them out. The manager also support us if we hit a guy when he won’t stop something we don’t want”

“At least that’s something” he put his tools away “Good, I’ll see if I can find something dry for you to wear and you can get changed while I take care of him here. Get yourself a bed” he told Spock who moved to the one next to you and Bones left the room. Then returned with a sweater and a pair of shorts as well as a towel.

“Here, Pam literally got everything. I got you something of me instead. You can change again tomorrow when your things are dry” you gave a short nod

“Thank you” he pointed at a room divider

“You can change over there. Just hang your wet things over it so that it can dry” getting out of the wet dress turned to be quite difficult and you also didn’t want it to touch your wound on your thigh too much, so you had quite some time until you were undressed. Okay, maybe also because you didn’t do it too quickly because you were also listening to Spock’s story about how he had ended up on that pier. When you were done, you took the towel and Spock’s jacket back with you and wanted to give the items to the respective owner when you saw Bones had already treated his friend’s wrist. The doctor took the towel back but Spock shook his head when you wanted to give him the jacket.

“Keep it. It is cohesive with the trousers and they are ruined with blood so I have no use for them or the jacket anymore” you looked down

“I-I’m sorry”

“Did you just apologize?”

“Well yes. Now your trousers are ruined and your wrist is broken”

“Had you not been, I now would be at the bottom of San Francisco Bay with a bullet in my neck. A broken wrist and soiled clothes are insignificant. I do, however, regret that you got injured as well”

“It did not quite go as planned. I thought maybe they’d fall for my female charms and it would distract them so that I could easily defeat them” you gave a small shrug “Besides, you can get the blood out of your clothes”

“You know that?” Bones asked

“Well yes, we constantly need to remove blood from somewhere” he looked quite shocked and as if he was about to protest “Not such kind of blood” you added quickly “Period blood. It gets everywhere. But you can give me your trousers, then I’ll make sure the blood is gone”

“No, I will take care of it myself”

“Okay. But then you can have this anyway” you gave him back the jacket and he took it with a nod

“Alright” Bones, who had tidied up everything, said “Off to bed we go. (Y/N), you can have the guest room, Spock you’ll have to make do with the couch. I’ll be right with you to help you with the bed. And you help yourself. Pillows and blankets are in the small cupboard next to the couch” you made an agreeing sound and then followed him to the guestroom and watched him transform the sofa into a bed before getting a pillow and a blanket from a cabinet and handing it to you “Do you need something else?”

“Uh… I don’t know. No wait, where’s the toilet?”

-

Somehow you couldn’t really sleep well because you had never slept another place than the Stella and you also never were alone in a room. Besides, there were other smells and sounds than you were used to and it alarmed you, making it impossible to fall asleep although you were tired. Besides, it was still in the middle in the night and usually you didn’t go to bed before 8 AM.

When you suddenly woke up, you had no idea what time it was but it was bright outside. Since you heard sounds from one of the other rooms you decided to get up and have a look.

“Oh look who’s finally up” Bones said

“Why? What time is it?”

“Almost 6 PM”

“Oh then I still have four hours until my shift”

“Your shift? You’re definitely not going to work for the next few days”

“But… what am I gonna do?”

“Sleep, relax and make sure those wounds heal. After a week you maybe can do some light things again. Your superior can call me when he doesn’t like that but it won’t change anything” you gave a nod.

“But can I go home?”

“I’ll check up on you and if there’s nothing wrong, yes. But you should make sure to keep an eye on it and as soon as you feel like something is wrong you have to go and see a doctor”

“Okay” you muttered

“Are you hungry? Help yourself with something” he pointed at the fridge. You gave a small nod and luckily it didn’t hurt as much as yesterday when you moved your head

“Where’s Spock?” you asked.

“He said there was something he had to take care of. No idea where he went but he’ll be told off as soon as he’s back. I told him to stay here for the day but he found his medical opinion is better than mine and left”

“Do you think he’ll come back?”

“Yes. He promised he’d bring you back to the Stella. But I’ll come with you to make it clear to your superior that you cannot work if he doesn’t want to make your condition worse” you sat down at the table “Aren’t you hungry?”

“No” you lied. You just didn’t want to impose on him even more “When can I go home?”

“As soon as Spock returned, I examined you and you’re ready to leave. But when was the last time you ate?”

“Last night. Shortly before I helped Spock. An ice cream”

“Ah right, he told me you put someone’s eye out with the cone”

“I only hit him in the eye with it. No idea what happened to his eye”

“I hope he lost it” you gave a shrug and your stomach growled “That’s it” he opened the fridge himself “Do you like eggs?”

“Why?”

“You are hungry, you are sick and you lost blood. So you will eat something. That’s an order. Here” he more or less slammed a pack of bacon and an egg box on the table “Scrambled eggs and bacon? I suppose you’d like breakfast now, seeing that this is around the time you eat breakfast”

“I don’t want to eat anything now”

“Why not? And don’t try to tell me that you just don’t like eating someone else’s food”

“I can pay for it if you want”

“Hell no. Just eat something. Because if you don’t I’ll put you on a saline solution and you stay here for longer” you gulped and got up. Bones took out a pan, put oil on the countertop and switched on the stove.

“Do you want something too?” he was silent

“You know what?” he took out some vegetables “I’ll make a salad for us. Then you get something right to eat”

“We usually eat very well. One of the younger girls cooks for us” he didn’t reply and you started making the eggs and bacon while he cut vegetables for the salad. Shortly before you started eating the door opened and Spock entered. He was carrying a bag, probably from a grocery store

“Don’t tell me the important thing you had to do was shopping?”

“No. I merely was not certain what you would like to eat” he told you “So I took different things. But it appears it was not necessary”

“Uh yes. Sorry. But thank you that’s very nice of you” you placed a hand on his arm and put some of your cooked meal onto two plates “I uh put bacon in it… but you surely can have some of the salad?” you looked at Bones who gave a nod and handed his friend a plate. After eating, Bones took you back to the medical room to check up on you and then declared that everything was healing quite well and that you could return to the Stella. You got changed into your own clothes again and gave Bones back his own.

“How are you feeling?” Spock asked once you returned to the kitchen

“Better. According to Bones, everything has started healing without complications. What about your wrist?”

“It is also healing normally” you gave a nod

“That’s good. I can go home today, by the way. But I think I forgot to inform the others what happened… they will think I’m dead”

“I suppose they will be happy to hear that you are merely injured”

“Yeah” he handed you small card with a phone number

“In case you ever require my help” he said

“What kind of help? Are there things you won’t do?” he placed a hand on your arm

“Just call me and we may discuss it then” you gave a nod and before you knew it you just wrapped your arms around him and buried your head in his chest. You couldn’t help but smell at him. It was something you did with every customer you had. Some smelled like alcohol, some pretty neutral, some as if they had not showered for a week and others smelled like they wanted to cover the fact they were smelly with a ton of perfume. Once your friends and you had gone to a little store and smelled all the perfumes you found to see if you could name a customer who had this one. But Spock smelled very nice and you let out a sigh.

“You kids ready to leave?” Bones asked, coming towards you, holding car keys in his hand “And no, you won’t drive, Spock. We’ll drop off (Y/N) at the Stella, then I bring you to your place. No backchat”

“Very well. Please go ahead” with a short growl Bones left

“I’ll be gone in five minutes” he shouted before he left the door and you looked at Spock, letting go of him

“(Y/N)” he said “I know this probably sounds inappropriate but would you allow me to kiss you?” for a second or two you just stared at him in disbelief. Then you got to your tiptoes and pressed your lips onto his. Somehow you had thought that a peck was all he wanted so when you tried to move away, his good hand came to the back of your neck, pulling you to his lips again. Usually, you only responded to kisses because you were required to but this time was one of the rare times where your gasp was genuine. Your hands wandered to the back of his head, trying to pull him down a bit. Or just closer in general. When you parted, his hand gently stroked your cheek, making you smile “I hope you did not just do this because you felt obliged to do as I wanted be-…” you cut him off with another kiss

“Does that answer your question?” you whispered against his lips. He gave a slight nod and let go of you.

“We had better head to the car as well” you gave a nod and he handed you your handbag you had taken with you yesterday

“Where did you get it? I thought I had left it at the pier”

“You did. I returned to retrieve it”

“You shouldn’t have done that. What if the Romulanos had been there? Or the police?”

“I had to return. It was necessary to eliminate any evidence that might be traced back to you or the Stella”

“Why? I mean… do you think they would have found me?”

“I cannot say this. But I am sure that they would have been able to find the Stella which would have endangered all workers there”

“Because we don’t have identity papers?”

“Indeed” you gulped

“What do you think would have happened then?”

“I cannot say” he placed his hand on your shoulder “But you do not need to worry about this. Everyone at the Stella is safe”

“Okay” you leaned up to peck his lips again “Thank you”

“It was the least I could do after you saved my life”

“Maybe we should go or Bones leaves without us”

-

Once you arrived back at the Stella, some of the females came running towards you to hug you and also Ollie came from his office

“Would you mind telling me where the fuck you have been? Yesterday night, Aliza, Helen, Jackie and Eileen came back telling me that you had to play undercover spy?”

“I…” you backed away from him and bumped into Bones who placed a hand on your shoulder

“And who are you two?” Theresa too appeared and took you into a bone crushing hug

“We thought we had lost you!”

“No I’m fine” you muttered. Meanwhile, Spock tried to explain what had happened at the pier before Bones took over and handed Oliver a piece of paper, telling him that you could not work for at least a week.

“You’re telling me she just thought she had to go and save a random guy? I bet something else happened. What have you done to her?” he glared at Spock

“He did nothing to me. He saved me” you insisted, clinging to his uninjured left arm.

“Probably it would be better if we discussed this in private” Spock asked looking at your superior. Oliver looked at the other women, then gave a nod

“Alright, come to my office. Theresa, please bring (Y/N) upstairs. The rest of you, continue whatever you did” he rubbed his face. Theresa placed a hand on your shoulder

“Come on, let’s bring you to bed” you were just about to leave, when you felt Spock pulling you back slightly by your hand. You stopped and blinked at him.

“I hope that you get well soon” he said.

“Same to you” you said, pointing at his broken wrist. He let go of your hand but brushed a strand of hair behind your ear and when he let his hand sink down, his thumb stroked your cheek, making you smile. Then Theresa started leading you away

“You heard Ollie, go back to what you’ve been doing” she told the other girls that were trying to follow you and ask you questions. “And you seem to be forgetting about one of our most important rules”

“Huh?”

“No falling in love with customers” of course you had tried to deny it but deep within you knew that Theresa was right. You had definitely fallen for Spock.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains threats of rape and violence.  
> Otherwise, enjoy and Happy New Year!

Your week of bedrest was getting boring very quickly and not even reading, watching a movie or trying to sleep could help you against being bored and sometimes you were more awake during the day. At least you could talk to the younger kids then because they still were awake during the day and not in the night like the others. This however was something you regretted when you started working again. Theresa had managed to convince Oliver to only let you work half a shift with only working behind the bar for at least five days before you could work whole shifts again. But she would not let you entertain customers until at least two other weeks had passed. Not that you minded.

On your fifth day of working a normal shift again, (at least a normal long one, you still were only serving behind the counter and your friends protected you against customers like they did with younger girls) something unexpected happened. The night was already quite advanced and you were getting a little bored at the bar because not many ordered drinks at that hour anymore. Usually you’d be sent to entertain too in such a situation but with your injuries still healing no one allowed you. So you just sat behind the bar (although you usually stood) waiting for people who still wanted to have a drink. Then suddenly, a familiar face appeared at the bar and you couldn’t help a broad smile

“Spock” you shouted and hurried around the bar so that you stood directly in front of him “I thought you don’t come here?”

“This is a special visit. I had to come and ensure you are doing fine” you felt like your heart skipped a beat “You came because of me?”

“I did” you smiled even more and wrapped your arms around him

“I suppose you should not do this, considering it could make others believe you are available for service” you shrugged

“That’s something different”

“No it is not. At least not in their eyes”

“But you’re not like a customer to me. More like a friend” or more, you thought to yourself. Although that was strictly forbidden. You were not allowed to start a relationship with someone because it could stop you from working, which again would be bad for business. And of course you couldn’t date customers because then you could offer them sex and all around it for free and they wouldn’t need to come either. In general you were not allowed to have sexual relationships without the managers of the Stella knowing about it (so that they could charge the people in question). Of course this rule had never bothered you before because you had been certain that you’d never fall in love anyway but right now you understood why some of your colleagues had gotten mad because of this after they had met someone they liked. That were your two friends that had been thrown out when they refused to work because of their relationship or the feelings. You knew that one of them had been able to live with her boyfriend but you never heard of her or the other one again. Spock placed a hand on the side of your face and you noticed that his other arm was still bandaged “What is your wrist doing?”

“It is healing well, according to Bones”

“That’s great to hear. Also my things are quite healed” you lifted your dress a little to show him the big patch over the wound on your thigh. “Little Zora drew a sun on it, see?”

“That seems very nice of her” you smiled and toyed with your white armband

“I know I’m wearing white but… there’s not much to do and I think that if you ordered a drink we could sit down somewhere and talk”

“It is a tempting offer but I only drink businesswise” you frowned.

“Oh. But we also have non-alcoholic stuff like the ‘Twinkle Star or the Sunbeam”

“I did not intend to stay long” he said

“So you paid 20$ entrance fee just so you could see me?”

“Not quite. I have brought you something”

“You did?” you asked and recognized that bag he was holding. “What is it?” you didn’t care that you behaved like the younger ones when you came back from outside with something you had bought for all of you like something special to eat or something to pass time like drawing colors, movies, games or a book. There was a little smile on his face and he took out a pack of ice cream, your favorite flavor “Oh. How did you know I like that one?”

“I remembered that you have been eating ice-cream the last time we met. And after all you could not eat all of the ice cream because you used the cone as a weapon”

“Ah okay. That’s sweet. But I fear I’ll have to share it. Thank you” you said squeezing his arm. “Maybe I should get it somewhere cold. To the ice cubes” you said and wanted to leave but stopped when you heard him call your name “Huh?”

“I have something else for you as well”

“Really? Why?”

“I only found it adequate to organize you something since you have saved my life and got injured for this reason”

“But you don’t feel bad for me getting hurt?”

“I do feel responsible”

“It’s not your fault the Romulanos abducted you and tried to kill you” you hugged him again “But I’m glad that we came by right then and that you’re alive now”

“It is indeed fortunate” he took something else from the bag and you let out a gasp when you saw it. It was a tablet

“Wow. Is that for me?”

“Of course it is”

“But why would you give me something like this?”

“I initially wanted to gift you a book but I did not know what kind of books you like so I decided this was a better idea. Since bookstores are closed when you are awake, I figured that an eBook would be a good alternative”

“And for that you just buy me a whole tablet?”

“I knew you would need something to read it on”

“But…” you looked at him “I can’t take that. It’s too expensive”

“No, it is an older model” he switched it on and showed you on which internet page you could download books for free and another one, from a bookstore for which he had also given you a 150$ gift coupon so that you could buy books

“Wow that is… thank you. I-I don’t know what to say” you pressed the tablet against your chest.

“You do not need to thank me. You have saved my life, I would not be here without you. Therefore, this is the least I can do” you gave a nod and looked down, then went onto your tiptoes to peck his lips

“Thank you” you whispered “You don’t know how much this means to me” somehow you wanted to share the tablet and the bookstore voucher with the others. On the other hand, you wanted to keep it to yourself. Of course you’d let others read the books too if they wanted. “Wait, can I also download games and all on this tablet?”

“Of course”

“Oh the little ones will like that. This is great. Thank you”

“But please make sure that you too get it at some point” you chuckled

“Okay”

-

Your good mood was destroyed two days later when Oliver heard about the present you had gotten and demanded that you made it a usable good for everyone because he disapproved of such expensive presents that customers made any of you. Theresa had found you crying and you had heard from Gaila that apparently she had argued quite a lot with Oliver in his office, telling him that you deserved the tablet since you had saved someone’s life and almost died while doing so. But as it seemed her adoptive uncle was not impressed at all and found that it had not been your job to help Spock and that you should have thought about the Stella. But this incident only made you momentarily sad, what really freaked you out was when you had started serving not only behind the bar again. Although you were wearing white, you were pulled against someone’s chest and you almost dropped the empty tray you were holding

“Look who it is” you heard someone whisper in your ear

“Let me go. I wear a white band. One of it. So either you’re colorblind or unable to count or both”

“Oh no, no, no. It’s alright”

“No” you said “Let me go”

“Shh. It’s alright”

“No it’s not. Get your hands off me. We can say ‘No’ in 35 languages for something and ‘stop’, ‘leave me alone’ or ‘let me go’ in at least 20” you wanted to ram your elbow into the man’s ribs but that was only the last resolution. However, it didn’t seem like this customer was actually willing to let you go at all.

“You don’t seem to recognize me or my friends. Although, you only knew my brother”

“And what about your brother?” you tried to break free and finally one of your friends came, requesting that he let you go

“You’d better while you still can or you’re next” Samantha gave a nod and left. But she returned shortly after with Will, one of the managers, who repeated that you should be left alone. “She deserves this. My brother has to be avenged”

“Look, I don’t know what you’re up to, but you have to leave her alone”

“Or what?” you felt something cold against your cheek and saw that he had a knife with which he threatened you “What will you do?”

“Put that knife away right now and let her go”

“Please” you whimpered “What have I ever done to you?”

“My brother died because of you”

“There has to be a mistake” Will defended you

“Oh no, there isn’t. A pier at San Francisco Bay, almost two weeks ago. Do you remember?” you gulped. Of course you did. That was when you had saved Spock’s life.

“I haven’t killed anyone”

“I know that, sweetheart” he whispered into your ear, making you shudder “That’s why I won’t kill you. But you still deserve to suffer for what happened” by now, even more people were standing around you, all not knowing how to help you. Even some customers were there, trying to distract the guy who surely was a Romulano.

“That’s not her fault. Find another way to vent your anger. But leave her alone”

“What if I don’t agree? What are you gonna do?” there was a clashing sound and finally, the guy let go of you and Will quickly pulled you further away from the scene. The Romulano looked rather dazed and you realized that someone had hit a jug over his head. Two more males appeared and grabbed the guy

“Exit?” they asked and Will nodded, whereupon they started dragging the man to the backdoor and shoved him outside. You let out a breath of relief and let go of Will a bit.

“Are you alright?” Will asked and you gave a weak nod, then most of your friends and customers asked the same question.

“Maybe you should go and sit down a little” Tanja said, gently guiding you towards the preparation room. “I’m sure no one would mind if you took off the rest of your shift” although you weren’t too sure about it, you still gave a nod and sat down at one of the make-up tables, burying your face in your arms, while trying to comprehend what had just happened and why. You doubted that the guy could get in again but you were sure that he’d try to get back at you again somehow.

-

“(Y/N)! (Y/N)!” you heard one of the younger girls scream during the day “Wake up. Wake up” you groggily opened your eyes and noticed that also the other girls in your room were awake now

“What?” you groaned, rubbing your eyes.

“Ollie says he got an offer for you. You have to get ready”

“Ready?”

“Oh my God” Eileen jumped up on her bed “Don’t you realize what that means?”

“I can’t sleep anymore?” you let out a yawn.

“No, it means someone has bought you. You can leave, (Y/N)!” that woke you up completely.

“What?” you shrieked “No that can’t be”

“Oh come on, don’t lie. You know exactly who it is” of course you knew who would do something like this. Probably Spock had heard that this Romulano had tried to harm you and thought he had to take you to his place in order to protect you. But you didn’t like it that he spent so much money on buying you free. It were 50’000$ after all.

“Is he still here?”

“No, never has been here” the younger girl replied “Ollie only said that he called and said that he wanted to buy you and that he’d come here in some hours to pick you up and pay” you gave a nod and left the bed, tearing out a bigger bag in which you could fit all your belongings. You didn’t own much though. Only a top, a hat, a book, your baby blanket (the one in which you had been wrapped up in when you arrived here), a plushie, your money, some sweets you hid under your pillow and of course your tablet. For a while you stared at it, not knowing if you should take it with you or not. Then you decided that it was yours and that you should take it with you or else Spock might buy you yet another which you didn’t want at all.

“Oh God, I’m so jealous. He seems so nice. At least when he’s with you. I’ve always thought someday someone might want me but no… it will always be a dream”

“I’d have never thought that either” you muttered and grabbed your bag, rushing down the stairs. Of course all the other girls that were working during the day had already heard the news and congratulated you or wanted to know more about the man. You only smiled and came to Ollie’s office, depositing your bag so that you could get changed.

“They said you should put on something that can get dirty”

“What? And what do you mean by ‘they’?” did Spock not do this alone? Maybe he was sharing the price with someone else. Maybe Bones.

“They. Yes you heard right”

“But… who are they?”

“What do I know? Does it matter?”

“Yes!” you crossed your arms “Did they say names?”

“Of course they did”

“Was-was anyone of them Spock?”

“Spock who?”

“Not Spock?” you repeated, a strange feeling starting to spread in your gut

“No. Anyways, get changed so that you’ll be ready when they’re here”

“But why would someone just buy me? Me? I’m almost invisible. I suppose they are not regulars?”

“No” he looked something up on this computer “Although one of them has a month’s pass entrance. Has been banned to come here again for five years because he attacked someone… oh it was you”

“Oh no” suddenly you knew what was going on. The guy who had bought you was the one from the Romulano family that wanted to avenge his brother “No” you said, steadying yourself at the desk “You-you can’t sell me to them. They’ll hurt me, they’ll kill me” you felt tears in your eyes

“Don’t cry that makes a bad impression”

“No you don’t understand if I go with these guys I don’t know how long I’ll survive. Please! You have to call them and tell them that you changed your mind”

“Listen here, that’s a good price for you. You haven’t been exactly… useful in the last few months. You always seemed distracted and in the past weeks you couldn’t even work properly. I don’t like it when my girls get involved with customers or externals in any way other than business. Especially not when they’re from the Mafia. That only means trouble”

“You can’t do this!” you screamed, tears now rolling down your cheek “Don’t act like you don’t care”

“Look, what do you expect me to do? If what you say is true and they just want to hurt you, what to do you think they’ll do to us if I refuse?”

“Then tell them I ran away or something. But I can’t go with them. You have no idea what they’ll do to me”

“I honestly don’t want to imagine it”

“But you don’t do anything against it!”

“As I said, if I don’t allow them to get you they will only try to get you in another way. And do you want to be responsible if anything happens to any of the others because of you?”

“But there has to be something you can do?” he sighed and placed a phone on the table and wrote something on a block then ripped the page of and placed it next to the phone

“That’s the number they called with. Maybe you can find a solution with them” you gulped and took the telephone and the paper, slowly trotting out of the office.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” the girls asked but you only walked past them when you came upstairs, six-year old Chloë hugged your leg

“Don’t go (Y/N). You can’t go. Please!” you stroked her head

“I don’t wanna go either” you said. Theresa left a room and let out a sigh

“There you are. Apparently, now everyone is awake to say goodbye because they heard you got bought free” she came closer and noticed how you were doing “Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked “I know it can be scary at first but I heard that it’s this Mafia guy who bought you. I’m sure you’ll get happy” you managed to shake your head and told her what happened “And Ollie did nothing?” you shook your head “Well I understand the part that he wants to protect the others but that’s not justifying what he does to you. Go back to your room, I’ll try to make him see sense”

“Thank you” you whispered and returned to your room. Almost everyone was inside but you asked them to leave because you wanted a moment alone. Luckily, they listened and you were alone on your bed, staring at the phone and the number.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: suicidal thoughts and mentions of suicide, implied allusions to torture or non-con.  
> And Happy Birthday to Spock!!

What were you supposed to tell the Romulanos? ‘Hey please don’t buy and hurt me?’ You also felt angry but couldn’t say at whom. Maybe the one who had made you think that Spock could be the one who bought you. Or Ollie because he did nothing. No, probably the Romulano himself. But you somehow also were mad at Spock because he didn’t actually think of freeing you. You tossed the phone to the ground and considered what other possibilities you had. But one thing was for sure. You would not give that Romulano the satisfaction of hurting you. He would not get you alive. A cold shiver ran down your back and you started crying again. You didn’t want to die. Maybe you should just run away. But you had nowhere to go. And if the police caught you, you’d be in trouble. But then you suddenly remembered something. Spock had given you his number, in case you needed him. Whether asking if you could run away and stay with him for some weeks was something that he would agree to? There was only one way to find out. You picked up the phone and dialed his number, which you knew by heart after staring at it for hours.

“Yes?” you heard him answer and breathed out in relief

“Spock!” you shouted “You-you have to help me, there’s this Romulano and he…”

“(Y/N)?” he asked

“Yes. It’s me. I-I think I need your help”

“Tell me what happened” in quick words you summed up the situation and then heard him utter a curse “Where are you now? Did you already run away?”

“No, I’m still in my room”

“Good. Stay right where you are. I am coming to the Stella to resolve the matter”

“O-okay” you muttered. Surely he could convince Oliver to refuse the Romulano to buy you. He could also protect the others. You felt yourself smile “Thank you”

“Please only thank me after I achieved something”

“What if you can’t?”

“(Y/N)” he said “You have my word that I will not let them hurt you. If I cannot convince Oliver, I will find another way to get you out of there” you gave a nod

“Okay” you ended the call and put the phone away, tucking up your knees and hugging them. Before you went downstairs, you went to your shared bathroom and took out one of the shaving blades from a razor, just in case it did not go as planned. Then you took the phone and wanted to return it to Oliver. Theresa was still in his office so you waited a little until she opened the door. She was crying and hugged you

“You don’t wanna know what he told me. That it was a good deal to have one person less, especially when it’s someone who never really brought much money like you. He was even considering to make a new policy that requires you to have sex at least twice a week!”

“He can’t do that”

“I told him that too and he will reconsider it. But I can’t do anything to change his mind about you. He told me you were calling the guys responsible. Did you? Could you do something?”

“No” you said, not wanting to add that you didn’t call them and maybe had found another solution.

“Okay, then we have no choice but to tell them that you ran away”

“She will not run away” Oliver said from his office “Come in, (Y/N)” you entered and Theresa followed you. Silently, you put the phone on the table “Looks like they said no?”

“I…” you rubbed your arm.

“Just think about it, Ollie” Theresa said “Those guys want her no good. Do you really think they’ll pay you the 50’000 just to have her? They could also break in here and just get her. Or wait until she leaves the house. This surely is a ruse. And what do you think they’ll do if you insist on getting your money?”

“Then I’ll just have to accept that they steal her”

“You’re saying you would give her for free? Do you have any idea what they’ll do to her?”

“I don’t want it to happen to her and she deserves better but I have to think about the others too. This is not just about her. I have 40 other girls to take care of. And by trying to protect her, I will endanger them”

“Then call for help. For what do we pay protection racket to the Azienda? Tell them to do something for the fucking money”

“They’ll charge us extra for such a thing”

“Well then they do! At least she is safe” Theresa shouted, almost making you wince “I bet if you told the girls what is going on, they will all offer their money so that you can pay the Mafia for their extra charge! In contrast to you, they care about each other”

“I care about them. That’s why I need to make such a sacrifice to protect them”

“If you did care you’d call for help”

“The police maybe? That we can all get arrested for having brothel with illegal girls? None of these girls has any sort of identification papers. What do you think they’ll say what we did to them?”

“Not the police, you dumbass! The Azienda. Besides, what do they need to do? Make them wait outside and as soon as these guys arrive let them blast their heads or the car away. We can get rid of the bodies ourselves.”

“We don’t know when her buyer will arrive. What if he comes before the Azienda does something?”

“Then at least tell them to get her out of this mess! Have one of the girls attach a tracking chip to their car and then give them the location!”

“Ollie” a girl opened the door “I… you have a visitor”

“There, they’re already here, what did I tell you? Go get changed” he barked at you

“I won’t accept this!”

“Then don’t. It is happening and you can’t change anything. Now get out before you make a bad impression in these clothes”

“You know exactly they don’t buy her to please” she left the office

“Where are you going?”

“Go tell them you want only one of them to come in” she said “I’ll get the gun and kill the guy. If the next one comes, he’ll die too. And so will all others”

“You’re not a killer, Theresa”

“I’m not but they are my family and I protect them” Theresa walked out of the office and Ollie told the girl to let the man in. At least he didn’t tell you to get changed anymore. You had a look to the window and considered if you’d be able to climb out of it. Your left hand was clutching the razor blade, hoping you wouldn’t need to use it while Theresa or one of the other girls was around. You didn’t want them to see you killing yourself. The door to the office opened and although you didn’t want to see him, you threw a look at the entrance. A nervous sound left your lips and you felt strangely light when you recognized Spock. You stumbled towards him, hugged him and started crying into his shirt

“What are you doing here?” Oliver seemed furious

“(Y/N) has informed me about what was going on that you are unwilling to protect her”

“You called him? Do you even know what that’s gonna cost me you little…” he looked like he was about to get up and come at you but Spock quickly pushed you behind him.

“I am here on her behalf and will not charge you anything. I merely wish to find a way to make sure she is safe”

“And how?” Spock placed a hand on your arm

“I suppose it is better if you wait outside” you gave a nod and before he let go of you, he handed you a tissue, which you clutched as if your life depended on it.

“What happened now?” Theresa asked when she saw you coming out of the office “Isn’t that this one guy from the Azienda?” you smiled and nodded “But why is he here?” you told her about the phone call “Oh you clever girl” she mumbled and pulled you closer. Some other girls wanted to know what was going on but Theresa shooed them away “Alright let’s make sure you look a bit better, okay?” she nudged your cheek and gently led you towards the preparation room. “I think you should take tonight off. That was enough stress for one day, it won’t do your injuries any good”

“Okay” your mind was only focused on Spock and what solution he might come up with. The most plausible one was that he would promise to take care of the Romulanos so that you could stay here. Theresa gave you a dress and you dried your tears, wiping your eyes longer than necessary. Then you got changed and she suggested that you went and had a drink at the bar. Although you really needed one, you abandoned the plan when you saw Spock standing outside Ollie’s office with your bag in his hands. So you ran to him instead, not sure how to ask him what he could agree on with Oliver “I…” you gulped and he placed a hand on your shoulder

“You are safe” he said quietly

“She is? What did you agree on?”

“The Azienda will take care of the Romulanos. They have been after me as well in the past weeks, therefore it is in our interest to render them harmless”

“Oh that’s great. So (Y/N) will stay with us as if nothing had happened?”

“Only if she wants to”

“What does that mean?”

“I had the impression that Mr. Walker seemed to regret missing out on a deal like the one he has made with the Romulanos, even though I am certain that they never had the intention to pay the sum. For this reason we have come to the agreement that I pay him the sum of 50’000$ as compensation, which would officially give me the right to take her with me” you gasped and Spock turned to you “Which, however, I will only do when you confirm that this is what you want”

“I… you mean I could go with you and life with you? What-what do you want me to do? I-I know that not all people that get bought are truly happy because then the people think they can do whatever they want because they own her now”

“(Y/N) as I have previously told you, I will not ask anything of you that you are unwilling to do. You may also live with Bones or somewhere else if you prefer”

“I can’t do that. I don’t exist according to any of the authorities”

“I could create you a fake identity and have it registered in the system”

“Wait, that’s illegal” he raised an eyebrow and you smiled but sighed “I-I just don’t know”

“Do you wish to stay here?”

“I…” you considered it. Of course you loved your friends but somehow you too had wished that you were able to leave one day. And you trusted Spock, he would not hurt you but you also didn’t want to live on his costs. You bit your lip “I somehow want to live with you but… then you’d have to pay for everything. I could only give you some of the money as some kind of rent. Maybe I could get me a job to have more”

“You do not need to feel bad about this. I am more than willing to take care of you if you let me. You saved my life after all”

“But… you already gave me the tablet. And the bookstore coupon. I couldn’t impose on you in such a way” he brought his uninjured hand to your cheek

“You would not impose of on me. In fact, I would find it pleasing to have someone living with me”

“You surely could rent a room to someone?”

“I would prefer not to. But if you want to stay here, I will accept that. Just know that you can always come to me if you want” you looked down “Or would you like some time to consider it?” again you thought about the two options. Somehow you wanted the one where you could join him later but you feared that he would retract his offer then. So you swallowed

“No” you said “I know what I want. I want to come with you” for the first time since you had met him you saw him smile a genuine smile. He handed you your bag

“Is there something else you need to pack? Or do you need to say goodbye?”

“Oh goodbye” you said and gave a nod.

“Very well. I will wait outside” you gave a nod and started grinning broadly. Somehow you could not believe what was happening and you watched him leave

“Come on” Theresa said, once again having tears in her eyes “You should get started”

-

You had almost changed your mind twice. Saying goodbye to the little ones and your best friends, your roommates, was especially hard. But you were quite glad that you wouldn’t see Yasmine again, who even had to make a remark that she didn’t think you would be treated alright and that someone just had fun with breaking a poor soul like you. But you didn’t feel the need to correct her and only smiled, she was just jealous and almost everyone knew that. Finally, you said goodbye to Theresa, who seemed like she wouldn’t let you go and wished you a happy life and that she wanted the best for you and that you took care of yourself (after all Spock’s environment wasn’t the most peaceful one). You also had to promise and come and visit them or at least call or write them a letter. Then it was time to leave the place. You threw one glance back into the room that looked so different during the day and let out a sigh before you stepped outside, where Spock was waiting. He led you to his car and opened the passenger door for you. With a little squeal you sat down and fastened the seatbelt. He too got in the car and started the engine.

“To the D?” you asked, your hand on the stick. After all he still had his wrist bandaged

“Actually I need to drive out here backwards”

“Oh so… R?”

“Exactly” he maneuvered the car out of the parking space

“Now D?”

“Yes” you smiled and put in the right gear. For a while you were silent, looking back at the Stella. Somehow it felt unreal that you would leave the place and you pressed the bag closer to your body. Then you glanced to Spock and had a look at the city around you

“Is driving hard?” you asked

“In the beginning it is a lot to learn and pay attention to. With time it gets easier”

“Do you think I could learn it?”

“I am certain you could. After you have gotten an official registry”

“Oh” you looked out the side window with a sigh

“Would you like to do some shopping before I bring you to my house?”

“Shopping?”

“I do not think you brought clothes with you?”

“A shirt and a hat” you said

“As I thought. I suppose you should get yourself some new clothes”

“Are clothes expensive?”

“It depends on where you get them”

“Where can you get the cheapest clothes?”

“You do not need to worry about the price. I will pay for anything you need”

“No!” you protested “You can’t just always pay for me” you saw him smirk

“Then try to stop me”

“I just won’t buy anything. Or go alone”

“Why are you reluctant to accept my help?”

“I just think it’s wrong. Where I come from I learned that you only get what you payed for. Like you have to work for the stuff you want”

“I understand. However, you are also coming from a routine where you are awake during the night and asleep in daytime”

“Are you saying my world view is upside down?”

“I did not imply that. I merely wanted to say that there will be a few things that are new to you and to which you will need to get used to”

“Many things?”

“I cannot say that now, we will surely notice them with time”

“Okay” you looked outside the window again “Is your house far away from the Stella?”

“If there is not much traffic you can drive there in about 12 minutes. With public transport it might be around 20 minutes. And if you choose to walk I suppose you will arrive after around 40 minutes”

“Is public transport expensive?”

“We can get you an abonnement”

“By ‘we’ you mean you’ll organize and pay it” you muttered. When you threw a glance in his direction you saw a tiny smirk on his face.

“Or you can ask me to drive you somewhere”

“But then you’d have to pay for the fuel and I would waste your time”

“How about we discuss this again when you wish to visit something?”

“Okay” for some minutes you were silent, then he drove onto a parking space and indicated you to get out “Is that where you live?”

“No that is not my home. I merely want to ensure that you get clothing for the following days”

“Oh. But do you have to pay?”

“Please” he said and you gave a sigh

“Good, I’ll just get myself some not so expensive things” he entered the store and you were in awe. “Look, that lamp up there” you pointed at a fancy chandelier “It looks like one in a castle. Do you think that was a castle once?”

“No. America does not have many castles. But you may get such chandeliers in a lot of shops”

“Do you think you could make one yourself?”

“Perhaps”

“Do you think I could make one?”

“If we find the according materials, of course”

“Would you let me hang one into your house?”

“If we find a place it fits”

“Does that mean your house is small?”

“It depends on what your definition of small is”

“Good question… if we hang a small chandelier into a room, would you still be able to walk beneath it?”

“Yes”

“Good” you giggled.

“What kind of clothing are you looking for?”

“Uhm… you read the huge table of where you found what before pointing at it “Here. Lingerie”

“I suppose that normal underwear would do as well?”

“Normal underwear?”

“Let me show you” he led you through the store until you arrived at a shelf with different kinds of underwear

“They all look like they’re owned by a 100 year old grandma”

“I assure you that this is normal underwear as it is worn nowadays by most women”

“Who are most women?” he was silent

“Normal women, they… I suppose that means women who do not…” he seemed embarrassed and you understood

“Women who aren’t sex workers?”

“Yes” he seemed relieved

“Don’t try to ‘nice-talk’ that. I don’t make a big deal out of it. I know that’s probably not how other women spend their life and that I therefore do and know other things. It’s a fact and nothing can change that”

“Technically your life is about to change now. You never need to do something like this again”

“Well my life has been like that until now. And that cannot be changed”

“Very well” you started examining the underwear

“I’ve never worn such” you stared at the different cuts of the panties and decided to just take a few of them and try them on

“Have you had an eye on the sizes?” you glared at him

“I might be a b-girl but I’m not stupid. Each day I choose my outfit I have to have a look at the size. Though with time you know by heart where you find what and which dresses fit you”

“Alright” you also took some bras and then went looking for the changing rooms. You went inside and put on the first pair of underwear “And?”

“It doesn’t match”

“That does not matter. Are they comfortable?”

“Quite” you mumbled and ripped off the price shield “But I don’t like this strange plastic thing that’s inside it” he explained that this was a security measure against theft “Can we take it out?”

“No” you opened the curtain and stepped out “(Y/N)” he said, almost shocked as you started watching yourself in the mirror at the end of the corridor “You should not…” he looked pretty flustered

“What?” you turned to him “Did I do something wrong?”

“No it is just… usually you stay inside the cubicle until you are decently dressed again” someone whistled and you turned and smiled at him before turning back to Spock.

“Isn’t that decently dressed?”

“Well in public places that are not related to anything like the Stella it is uncommon to let strangers see your underwear”

“But it’s not _my_ underwear. We haven’t bought it…”

“Perhaps you should just…” he gestured to the cubicle

“Try on the next one?”

-

Next Spock thought you needed some shirts as well. But then you noticed that apparently he only wanted you to get things that were comfortable and that you liked and not what he liked. Which confused you because after all he had paid for you, therefore was like a customer and he paid for the things so it was logical that he should choose what you wore. In the end you just claimed that you liked something so that he shut up. Next, he tried to convince you why trousers where better than skirts or dresses but having only worn the latter two (except for two or three times in your life) you couldn’t judge that, so you started asking other shopping women what they thought about trousers and finally just took a pair that Spock was satisfied. Since this shop also had shoes, you were supposed to get some as well. To wear flat shoes was weird to say the least. The only shoes you had worn like these were slippers but that weren’t real shoes. In order to not feel too bad by knowing what exactly Spock had paid, you said that you had to go to the toilet while you were waiting at the cash register and would meet outside when you were both done. Yet it did not much about your bad conscious when you saw the two big bag of clothes that now were yours and yours alone.


	8. Chapter 8

Spock’s house was gigantic. You now understood why he didn’t like living here alone. He had almost more space than you had at the Stella’s (minus the guestrooms of course) and you were anything but alone. Apparently you had kept staring at certain things so he offered you a tour through the house that consisted of two floors (if you didn’t count the basement) and the second floor was built like a balcony and you could see right into the living room from the whole corridor of the upper floor

“That looks amazing” you squealed. He started the tour in the basement where he showed you two rooms that he didn’t want you to go inside, one of them was even locked. And he told you that apparently one of them was a server room, whatever the waiters were doing inside there. One room you could visit, however, was his training room. There also was a room you liked very much because it was something like a bar and had even a pool table “Spock look, you have a pool table” there was a slight smile on his face

“I am aware”

“Can we play? We have one at the Stella too but playing there is only nice when no customers are around or they’ll slap your ass when you lean over the table”

“Of course but probably not today. I suggest there are other thing we should take care of first”

“Uh-huh” you followed him back to the first floor where you saw a living room, a kitchen, again a door you shouldn’t open (His work office, as he explained) a bathroom (which you could use), something like a storeroom, another door that was locked and the guest room where you would stay. The upper floor consisted of yet another guestroom, Spock’s bedroom and the bathroom directly connected to it and his private office. “So that probably means that you don’t want me to come upstairs here? After all I don’t have something here”

“No you may come upstairs. I only wish that you do not enter the rooms I asked you not to”

“Of course not. But… I have a question”

“Yes?”

“You know, you told me that one of the rooms in the basement is a room for waiters. But what are they doing there? Is that their changing room? And for what do you have waiters?” he looked at you then chuckled

“Come with me” he said and went down into the basement again

“But you said I shouldn’t go inside the room”

“I know but now I am with you so it is different. Besides, I did not tell you not to go inside because there is something you must not see but because if you touch something, a huge disaster might happen”

“So no touching” you crossed your arms in front of your chest and he opened the door. There was a low humming sound and you saw three black closets inside that had many, many cables attached to them and had blinking lights at some places. There also was a little yellow box in a corner. Well that definitely were no waiters. “Is that a computer?” you asked, pointing at one of the black blocks.

“Not quite. They are, however, called servers because they, easily said, provide services for computers. They have programs saved on them or allow us to exchange data” he explained how these racks built somehow a private and secure network between all devices the members of the Azienda used. He walked you through the room and tried to explain you what each part was responsible for. There was one whole block for the business network of Azienda devices, a bit more than half a block for just Spock’s own uses (because he was their computer specialist and would do anything that had to do with digital stuff, so of course he needed a lot of servers for that) and half a closet was for their private networks, making sure the connections still were secure and if necessary private. Then there was one block that was almost empty but he explained that it was reserve for now. You didn’t understand many of the things he told you but there was a slight gleam in his eye that told you he was happy and enjoyed talking about it so you listened.

“So in short if I just pulled on one of these cables… someone could not use their computer?”

“They could still use it but they would not have access to anything that is related to the Azienda. However, there are also connections that fulfill another purpose and that are far more disastrous if they are unplugged” you looked at him.

“But I suppose they need electricity, right? So what happens if one day there is a power loss in your house? Then you’d be pretty screwed”

“Not quite” he pointed at the yellow box in the corner of the room “This is an emergency generator. It will instantly switch on and supply this part of the house with enough power for at least two hours”

“But if you don’t have power, how does it work?”

“It uses fuel which powers a motor and then this mechanic energy is converted into electricity”

“So it kinda works like a car but instead of driving it makes electricity?”

“Simply put, yes”

“And if you get more fuel you can have it run longer?”

“Not forever but yes, it can run for longer than two hours if I refill it”

“So what would you need to do in case there is a power loss?”

-

After he had explained you seemingly everything about these servers (and yet you had so many question open like how all the computers or phones of Azienda members were connected to these servers if there were no cables going to them) he took you back upstairs to help you prepare the guestroom and explained you where you could put your things. Your belongings were quickly unpacked and Spock asked if there was anything you needed as well. Right now you could think of nothing so you shook your head but you had a feeling that there was something you would definitely need later on. When you were done, you joined Spock in the kitchen

“What would you like for dinner?”

“Hm… did you plan to make something?”

“Not yet”

“Hm. What about Spaghetti? With Bolognese sauce?”

“It contains minced meat”

“Ah right sorry…. But we could replace this meat with small vegetable pieces?” he raised an eyebrow and seemed to consider it

“Agreed” he then said started getting out ingredients after telling you to take out the pan

“Uh…” you said, staring at the many cupboards and randomly opened one. No pans but all kinds of bowls

“Here” you found him pointing at the drawers underneath the stove and opened the upper one

“Ah” you took out the biggest pan

“Are you cooking for an army?”

“No but…. Right, we’re not 40 people anymore. Just two” helplessly, you stared at the different pans until Spock decided which one to take. He then told you where to find the spaghetti and you started rummaging said cupboard until you found them. “How much do we need?” you took out a handful “Like this?”

“You can make some more, so you can eat them tomorrow”

“What about you? Will you not be here tomorrow?”

“Only in the morning”

“Oh okay” you didn’t want him to be away. What were you supposed to do then? After all he had told you that you should try to stay awake during the day so that you could get another rhythm and slept during the night. Once you had finished cooking and were eating, you asked Spock what you could do tomorrow afternoon. “I could help you clean. Then I did something useful”

“That is not necessary. I have a home help who will come and clean two times a week” you frowned

“What about the rooms you told me not to enter… who cleans them?”

“I told her she does not need to clean in the basement. As for the weapons storeroom, I told her that it solely was a storeroom where cleaning was not necessary. In fact, she does not even have the key”

“So that means she cleans your office?”

“She does. However, only when I am not working at the moment”

“So there’s no supersensitive and dangerous stuff around there?”

“Not as long as the computers are off, no. But the less you know the better”

“Because you’re not allowed to tell me or because someone could want information?”

“Both” you gave a shrug

“Makes sense. But I’ve seen your kitchen knife collection. If someone came here and tried something I can take one of those” he said nothing for a while

“I doubt an intruder would be able to enter the house”

“Does that mean you have a security system?”

“Correct. Which is why you should not go outside after 22.00 o’clock”

“After when?”

“10 PM”

“Or else I’d activate the alarm or so?”

“Correct”

“But what if you need to leave in the night?”

“I can temporarily disable it, of course. Which is why you should tell me if you want to leave. But I would prefer if you did not go outside during the night. At least alone. Because you could not come back inside without triggering the alarm until it is switched off automatically at 7 in the morning without the code.”

“Right. But what if you have to leave during the day? Can you just manually activate it?”

“That is a good point” he said

“What?”

“I have programmed it to be switched on automatically one minute after I have locked the door. I need to change that since you will be at the house during the day”

“Oh makes sense. But how does your household aid get in then?”

“She knows the code to deactivate it”

“Okay”

“I suppose I should give it to you as well, in case you need it”

“Do I also need to type it in order to activate it like when I leave the house?”

“No, you do not need it for activating. I will show you how to do this too”

“What happens if I enter the deactivation code wrong?”

“Call me”

“Why?”

“Because it will trigger an alarm as well and in that case the defensive system will set in before people of the Azienda arrive to see what is going on”

“So I need to call you that you can deactivate the alarm again?”

“Correct”

“Has anyone ever accidentally activated the alarm?”

“Jim did when he came to my place drunk” you chuckled.

“But back to my question… what shall I do tomorrow when you’re gone? Do you have laundry I could do? Or should I prepare dinner?”

“You do not need to do anything. I will make sure you have a Wi-Fi connection with your tablet so that you may use it and open a second user account on my laptop which you may use. Plus, I suppose I can show you how to watch a movie or television”

“Okay. That should occupy me for some hours” you giggled “But do you also have books?”

“You will find a shelf of them in my private office”

“Oh that sounds nice. And I can read anything I want?”

“Yes. Just do not remove any bookmarks”

“Of course not. Are there any other rules you have?”

“I ask you not to rummage in my private belongings, mainly in my office or my bedroom. Try to keep everything in order and tidy up after you took something out. Do not leave the house without telling me”

“What if the phone rings?”

“You do not need to answer it. But with time you will recognize a few numbers such as Bones’ or Jim’s and then you may answer it if you know the person, if you want to”

“What if someone is at the door?”

“It mostly will be someone from the Azienda. I ask you not to open the door if you do not know the person. Call for me if I am around, if not just ignore it.”

“Maybe I should know what your cleaning aid looks like. Not that I won’t let her in”

“She will come in two days again but I most likely will be around at the time so you do not need to worry about it”

“Okay” you yawned “That’s weird, it’s not even the beginning of my shift but I’m tired already”

“It has been a long and tedious day. I suppose you should go to bed soon”

“When do you usually go to bed?”

“Usually at around 9 PM. But it often takes longer”

“Hm I get that. Then I go to bed when you go. Is there something special you do in the evening?”

“It depends. Sometimes I go to the training room, work something, spend time with my friends, read, play the piano or sometimes I watch a movie”

“Okay. What did you plan for today?”

“I do not plan and do what I most feel like. Unless someone comes over, then I spend time with them. I also wanted to inform you that today most likely someone will come here but I cannot say how long they will stay. I ask you to wait in your room until I call you”

“Secret business?”

“In a way”

“Okay. Just tell me whenever I need to leave because you do something I can’t know about”

-

When said visitor came you were quite tempted to try and listen at the door but you didn’t. But there also were some sounds that you didn’t know but that sounded quite interesting. You couldn’t even say how many people were there but you heard that they went into the basement. Somehow they were much more silent when they came back up and you heard laughter, then there was a knock at your door.

“Yes?” the door opened and you saw Jim

“Hey there. Heard we have a visitor” he grinned at you “Spock’s told me what’s up and that you will live with him for a while”

“Oh okay”

“So anyway, just wanted to say hello and let you know that we’re done, you can leave your room”

“Okay” you gave a nod and got up.

“Well I don’t want to disturb you guys any longer, the packet’s dropped off so I turn my way” of course you wanted to know what kind of ‘packet’ that was but you didn’t ask. Jim left and you followed Spock into the living room. While he took out a book to read on the couch you opened the cupboard with his movies and decided which ones you liked.

“Do you have a favorite movie?” you asked and he looked up from his book.

“I cannot say which one I like most but I do enjoy Schindler’s List or The Da Vinci Code”

“Do you have them?”

“Yes”

“Can I watch them? Tomorrow?”

“Of course but you surely will also find other movies which you will like”

“Well we watched very different movies at the Stella. They were about love most of the time… but it looks like you’re not into romantic movies”

“No I am not. I prefer documentaries, mystery thrillers or science fiction” you continued browsing his collection and then moved on to the music CDs

“Looks like you like music better than movies. You have many CDs”

“I know”

“And there are many with classical music. Does that mean you like classical music?”

“Indeed” you took a random one to have a look at it

“You know, at the Stella, you have the loudest music possible in the club but in the rooms you mostly have calm or classical music. Can we listen to this one now?”

“If you wish” you gave a nod and he put his book away helping you to prepare everything.

“Oh you have many sound boxes” you spent the next minutes trying to find them all and then sat down on the couch with a few movies that interested you to read their summary. At 9 PM Spock got up and said he’d go to bed. You nodded and turned off the music then went to the guestroom to put on comfortable clothes for the night and then you went to the bathroom, only to notice that you had no toothbrush or other things you needed. So you went upstairs where you found Spock in the bathroom. “I uh… forgot my toothbrush” you said quietly. “And I have no toothpaste and also no things to take a shower or make-up or any other sanitary products”

“I surely have a toothbrush here that you can use. If you want to shower today or tomorrow you may use something from me if you like”

“Why only until then?”

“Because I thought we could go shopping again the day after tomorrow”

“Oh yes of course... is there a word for the day after tomorrow too? After all you told me that nudiustertian is the day before yesterday”

“I do not know, I have never thought about it” you smiled

“Can I look it up? To see if there is a word for it and then tell you?”

“Of course. That sounds like a good way to pass your time”

“Okay I think I should just go... no wait, I need a toothbrush”

“I will bring you one as soon as I am done” you nodded and went downstairs again, trying to find out which other items you would need. Spock then came and you giggled when you saw his silky pajama.

“It looks weird to see you in something else than your suits”

“Did you really think I only own suits?”

“I was asking myself if you did. But probably not” you grinned at him

“Do you need something else?”

“No, I don’t think so” you shook your head

“Then I wish you a good night”

“Thanks, same to you”

-

As the night you had slept at Bones’ you had troubles falling asleep because this was an unknown place and the time you went to sleep was absolutely not like your normal time. You buried your head deep in the pillow, inhaling the scent to get used to it since you would spend many nights here. In order to get tired you tried to think about what your life might turn out, respectively what you wanted to do when Spock had created your identity in the systems what would allow you a whole new life. But the thoughts weren’t really helping to find sleep so you took out your tablet and read a few pages in your newest book, while you tried to think about what you could do tomorrow. After all that was not as exciting as planning your new life. Then you noticed that you had to go to the toilet and left your bed with a sigh. When you were done and wanted to go back to bed, you made the mistake to trot towards the living room because you had seen a red, blinking light there and wanted to know what it was but noticed that it only was something from the TV. You returned and then noticed that you had no idea which of the rooms around was yours.

“Shit” you muttered. You put your hand on a door handle but didn’t dare to open it, after all it could be one of the doors he didn’t want you to open. So you let out a huff and decided what to do. Your glance fell at the stairs, considering if it was a good idea to wake Spock to ask him. But then you found an even better solution; you would just spend the night on the couch. It had a pillow but no blanket, which was why you looked around and remembered the table cloth which you just decided to us this as a blanket for tonight.


	9. Chapter 9

“(Y/N)” it was a male voice that woke you, which scared the shit out of you. You screamed and rolled off your bed “Careful” only now you recognized the voice. It was Spock. And suddenly you remembered what had happened yesterday. You were not at the Stella anymore. Being woken by a man didn’t mean trouble anymore. After all, the men working at the Stella were not allowed at the place you women slept, unless it was an emergency. “May I ask why you are sleeping on the couch? Was the bed not comfortable? Would you like me to buy a new one? Or do you wish the try the guest room in…”

“No” you said “I just went to the toilet and then didn’t find my room anymore” he raised an eyebrow

“How did that happen?”

“Well” you explained how you hadn’t been sure which door was yours anymore.

“You could have just opened them to have a look”

“I didn’t want to. You said I shouldn’t enter these rooms”

“And by just opening the door and looking you would not enter it” he placed a hand on your shoulder “You are allowed to open doors if you are not certain which room is which. In fact, there are only two rooms which you should not be inside at all or even see what is in them but these doors are locked”

“Okay. So you say next time I can just open the door, have a look and that doesn’t bother you?”

“No. In fact, you can enter my office as long as I am not working. As we have already established yesterday, there is nothing sensitive you could see if you entered my office when it is empty”

“Oh okay. So it wasn’t that bad if I actually ended up inside the office for some reason? Which I won’t do. But I won’t touch anything. But what if you are inside and I didn’t know?”

“I would not blame you if it was accidental. I merely did not want you to enter private settings willingly”

“No, I wouldn’t do that… but what if I need something special. Like an item. Let’s say it’s dark in the night and I need a flashlight? Then I couldn’t find it by just having a look inside the room. I would need to go and search”

“If you wish, I can put a flashlight in your room”

“No, I don’t need one. It was just an example. Maybe I’m looking for something else, like scissors or a pen”

“Most items that you will need can be found in any of the areas where you are ‘allowed’ to be. So you may search for them. If you cannot find it at all, you can ask me”

“What if you’re not home?”

“Call me if it is urgent. Maybe you could even use the time this afternoon to have a look in all the cupboards in order to locate anything that might be of interest to you”

“Okay, makes sense. What’s the time, by the way?”

“7.38 AM. I found it was good if you got up earlier so that you will be tired in the evening.

“Okay” you let out a yawn “I think I should get ready” he gave a nod and you trotted back to the door you thought was your room and when you opened it you saw that you were right “Damn, I could have just gone in” you muttered. After showering and getting dressed you noticed that you had no make-up yet. So you asked Spock what to do

“Make-up is not a requirement. You do not need to put it on if you do not wish to”

“But customers…”

“(Y/N)” he placed a hand on your cheek “You never need to worry about what customers might think. From now on you are free to do or wear whatever you want. Do not think about what others may think”

“What about you? You bought me, you kinda are…”

“We have discussed this yesterday as well. I told you that I am not a customer and that I only want you to feel comfortable. Anything else does not matter” you gave a nod.

“But do you think I look presentable without make-up” he lifted your face and looked at you

“In fact, I even like you better without. It shows what makes you you. Please do not think of yourself badly” he didn’t let go of you and continued studying your face before he suddenly leant down to press a kiss to your forehead, making you smile. “I was just about to have breakfast. Please join me”

-

Somehow you were sad as well as looking forward about being alone this afternoon. After all you had never been in a house all alone. First you just sat on the couch, listening to all the sounds you could hear, (so that you got used to them) then you found that it was way too quiet and started watching a movie. It was about two guys who fled with their queen from political debates and then crashed their spaceship in a desert. They met a boy who was a slave and they promised to free him if he won a race for them. Then they wanted to fight with the underwater aliens and the man with the long hair wanted to train the boy but some people in a council didn’t seem to like it. When a Starbase was attacked, the boy saved them all by flying a starship and destroying the evil ship. The longhaired guy was killed by someone who looked like the devil and instead his son promised to train the Anakin boy. With delight you noticed that there were even more movies because it was a series and you decided to watch them all. Maybe not today but within the following days. All too soon Spock was back and you were just watching the third movie, where the little boy who now was grown up and a Jedi became evil because he didn’t want his pregnant wife to die.

-

The more time passed, the more you felt at home here and you started to like Spock even more. He was not around all day of course (or just worked in his office) but you also enjoyed having time to yourself. One day, you had been shopping with a woman who was working for the Azienda, her name was Nyota. Sometimes also other members of the Azienda dropped by (apparently on Spock’s orders) because he didn’t want you to be alone all the time. It was a bit better after he could finally use his broken wrist normally again. After that he started to do more things with you. Because you felt a bit bad that he still payed for everything you needed and refused your money, you decided to help him by just cooking all the meals. And when his household help was there you just helped her as well because you enjoyed talking to her while cleaning. One evening, Spock came home with a rather big envelope which he gave to you

“What is this?”

“Open it” you frowned and did what he wanted. It were documents that looked important

“What are these?”

“They will allow you to live another life. A free and independent one” you started looking through the papers not sure what to say

“How did you get these?” he was silent “Let me guess… it has to do with business?”

“Yes. I suppose I can tell you that it is good to have certain contacts”

“So you didn’t do this alone?”

“No” he went to his office and came back with a little booklet, which you identified as a passport “But I have taken care of the design of this. Yet I did not print it myself” you gave a nod and looked through it. “Of course I will help you with organizing your own accommodation or you may live here longer if you wish to” again you nodded and looked down “Is something wrong?”

“I don’t think I can start my own life and be independent. I don’t know how to do this. I would be required to fill out so many forms and documents I have never seen before”

“I will always be there to help you. Or our Advisor may do the same”

“But what if I still fail? No one will ever want to hire me. I-I have never been to school”

“That is not quite correct” he looked through the documents then showed you one “According to this, you have graduated from High School with a C“

“Is that good? I only know that A is very good and F is failed.”

“It is an acceptable grade”

“What if they start asking questions that I can’t answer? What if they find out the truth?”

“I am certain that I could handle that”

“With money or violence?”

“That remains to be seen” you only gave a nod “There still seems to be something bothering you”

“I-I don’t know. Just the whole idea of doing my own thing freaks me out… and to be honest… I like to live here. Not because of your house. I mean of course, your house is great but I also like being close to you”

“As I said you do not need to find yourself a place to live. Maybe it is even better if you just start looking for work if you want”

“If I want? But if I don’t have a job then I won’t be able to ever pay for all the money you spent because of me. And don’t say you only do this because you feel like you have to because I saved your life. You did it before, you paid my soup and gave me too much tip on our first meeting!”

“You do not need to pay the money back. It was my pleasure to buy you what you wanted because I found it very nice to see you this happy”

“Thanks. I-I never heard anyone say that they like to see me happy”

“I said it because I care about you and like you”

“Like me?” you glanced at him “you really like me?”

“Yes I do. Very much so” he placed his hands on the side of your arms and squeezed them “You have a fascinating and unique personality. And I must admit that it can be quite amusing to see you getting confused about things you cannot know about because they have never been relevant for you” his hands wandered down and he took hold of your hands “I really enjoy your company and I would like you to stay here with me. A part of me does not even wish that you go out and find yourself work because it could endanger you. If anyone finds out you are affiliated to me in some way you could become a target” you looked at him

“But you surely could protect me?”

“Of course. But I might not always be able to do so”

“Wouldn’t the others take care of me then?”

“Only if you are a part of the family”

“You mean I have to join the Azienda?”

“No. I would not wish that for you. I do not believe it is something you would like. I was referring to another way to join the family”

“But I’m not related to any of you! Or am I? I have no idea who I am”

“No. You do not know who your parents are. But they do not define who you are. Blood is not everything, sometimes friends can be an even better family than relatives”

“You mean like a mafia family?”

“For example”

“Okay but how could I join the family then?”

“You automatically become a part of the family and will be under their protection if you marry a member of it” you gulped and took a step back

“M-marry” you choked out “I… does that mean it is a proposal?” he cupped your face

“I would do it to protect you”

“W-would you also do it because you want to?” for quite a while, he remained silent and he let go of you. For you that seemed like a negative answer and you looked down “Oh okay. I wouldn’t want to...”

“No” he said firmly, taking hold of my upper arms again “It would be a great honor and I would appreciate it very much if you became my wife”

“But...” you gave a shrug “That can’t work. We’re so different. I mean, just look at you, you’re perfect. And I’m... I’m not pure because I’ve been touched by hundreds of men and you deser-…" he cut you off with a quick kiss.

“It does not matter to me with how many men you have been. You are an amazing person and only this counts. Not where you come from or what you have been through. Besides, I am not perfect either like you have claimed. You know what and who I am and if anyone should be worried that the other one deserves someone better it is me. I cannot say to what extent I can offer you a normal life because if you were to become my wife you automatically would become a target as well”

“Well then you’d need to protect me. Your people would understand even better if I’m a part of the family. And they’ll also help me if you can’t be there for me” you smiled “I mean... if you really want to marry me I would be so happy but I’m scared. I have no idea what a wife does, except for marital duty and I don’t even know how love works” he moved his hands to your face

“I do only know that it is different for everyone. Each relationship is unique as are the people in it”

“Then what do you want from a relationship?”

-

After two hours of discussing you had agreed to just start dating to see if you even were able to function as a couple before you got married. The first days and weeks were pretty strange because you had no idea what was proper or not. You wanted to give him attention but you were not sure to what extent it was proper to constantly trying to turn him on because that was like the only way you knew to show him how you were interested in him. In the beginning, also Spock seemed to struggle with that a bit but you had no idea how far he was willing to go (he had only said that he would only want sex after at least 6 months when it was okay for both of you or when you got married) and was holding back because of this or because he was afraid he would force you into something because your upbringing had taught you to not stop certain advances, as he had told you as well. For a while he had tried to ‘woo’ you with little but probably expensive gifts and had only stopped after you told him that you didn’t like that. Instead, he started to try and spend more time with you, like teaching you more fight techniques or how to use weapons properly. You still remembered your first shooting lesson where you had been so happy when you had finally hit the target paper in the stomach after about twenty times of missing him. But then Spock took the weapon and no matter which body part you told him, he just hit or at least brushed it with the bullet. Needless to say that you had been very impressed and felt safer around him because you knew he had a weapon with him every time he left the house.

One day, he found another way to spoil you and yet spend time with you. A certain Carol had showed up at your place with the instruction to go and buy a nice dress with you. She wouldn’t accept your lingerie silk dress as ‘nice’ so you had to go shopping again. Not that you didn’t like it but people always wanted you to take other clothes than you would choose. Although by now you had realized that mostly clothes like you had worn them at the Stella were not fit for on the street. But for some reason, dress shopping was a bit more exciting because you enjoyed looking at all the dresses and you wanted to try them all on. At least the ones you liked. A couple of hours later, you had chosen a dark red dress and Carol took care of the payment (luckily with your boyfriend’s money because you wouldn’t have liked to impose on her as well) She then brought you to Jim’s place, where you would meet Spock, and were greeted by Bones

“Well finally. They excluded me from the meeting so I could come and show you where you can wait” you had the impression that he seemed to like you in a weird way. Sometimes you thought he hated you at other times you thought he would think of you as a little sister. Of course he had gotten fonder of you after you started your relationship. Most of the Azienda had. At least those who had won the bet that Spock and you would start dating one day. You weren’t sure what you thought about the fact to be a part of their bet but you had already been, at the Stella where most people had tried to bet on who would get the better ‘deal’ or girl for the night. You remembered the first bet that had been made with you directly. You had only been sixteen and quite new to serving drinks on the entertainment floor. A customer had bet with you for 2$ that he could fit your ass cheek into his hand. Of course he had lost (even after trying for a while) and you had been happy about your winning. Later, and thanks to a friend’s help you had realized that he had only used the bet to be able to grope your ass. While you had to wait for the meeting to be over, you put on your dress and make up, then took out your tablet to read. By now you had used all the 150$ of the first coupon but Spock had already gotten you a new one for 200$ about two weeks ago. Suddenly, the door opened and Spock entered. You put your tablet away and got up. He eyed you and come over to you with a smile

“Good evening and good choice of dress” he pecked your cheek and you wrapped your arms around him

“Hi” you breathed “And nice suit too” you ran a hand over his tie “So what is this surprise now?”

“If I told you it would be no surprise anymore”

“Fair enough” you gave a nod. He took hold of your hand and then started leading you outside, past a grinning Jim who wished you a lot of fun. For the whole drive you looked out of the window, still fascinated with the busy day life of the city. “Hey wait!” you suddenly said, pointing at a bifurcation “Isn’t the Stella quite close?”

“Yes it is”

“Oh can we go there?” you tried to make puppy eyes at him.

“After dinner. Because I suppose now most of your friends will be getting ready for the shift. And if we go afterwards, you have more time to spend with them”

“So I can visit them?” he nodded “Oh thank you. That will be great. They will ask me hundreds of questions about you and everything. God, I can’t even say how much I missed some of them”

“Of course you miss your friends” you gave a nod

“Do you miss your family?”

“It would be illogical if I did not” you placed a hand on his arm.

“Did your mother know about the Mafia and all?”

“Yes of course but she has not been a part of it”

“Do you think she’d be proud of you?”

“Probably”

“I’m sure she is”

“You do not even know her”

“But she raised you. And from what you told me, your father wasn’t really… fatherly all the time. So she must be a great and kind woman”

“You are right” he let go of the steering wheel and squeezed your hand.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for slight sexual harassment (it's basically just comments)

Of course, by now you had gotten mostly used to the new world you lived in and the luxury in it. But the place, a restaurant, to which Spock took you today still amazed you like everything had on your first days outside the Stella.

“Is that a castle?”

“No”

“But it looks like one. I mean not the stony buildings but more a fairy tale castle” he raised an eyebrow “Hey look, they even have fish” you walked to the aquarium to watch the different fish “Hi there fishies. Your home seems amazing and you have such nice colors and extras in your tank”

“(Y/N)” you heard Spock and turned around

“Sorry” you trotted back to him and took his hand “Hi” you greeted the waiter who then brought you to your table “Is that your surprise?”

“Yes” you giggled

“Well I like it” you got up from your chair to press a kiss to his cheek before sitting down again. The waiter came back and introduced himself before he handed Spock a menu “Why don’t I get one?” you pouted

“This is the wine card, Ma’am. It’s enough if one person chooses the wine”

“Oh. But I don’t like wine. It tastes gross. Do you have beer? Oh or even better. I’d like a sex on the beach”

“I am sorry but we have neither”

“What else do they have? Spock?” when he didn’t reply you turned back to the waiter “Well what alcoholic things do you have? Or can I have a wine card too please? I mean, I suppose there might be other drinks on it too, right? Just one card for all the wine seems stupid. There really is no difference between all the different kinds of it.” he left and brought you one “Thanks” you flipped it open and scanned through it

“(Y/N)”

“Hm?”

“You should not have requested a second menu”

“Why?”

“As he has already explained only one person per table will choose the wine”

“What does it even matter? It all tastes the same” you wanted to place the menu back on your plate but you noticed that there was far too much cutlery “Uh Spock?”

“Yes?”

“Is someone else coming?”

“No, it is only us. Why do you ask?”

“It seems like they set the table for four or six”

“No, this is normal. You will use a different set of cutlery and a new plate for each course”

“Oh. But that doesn’t make much sense. One plate is enough. Okay maybe not for the dessert. Same goes for the cutlery.” you took one of the little forks and ran the prongs along the three wine glasses that stood on the right side of your plate, making you giggle “Hey look, I can make music” you tried to find out what easy songs you could play

“(Y/N), please stop”

“Does it annoy you?”

“No but this is not a place to do such things”

“Well then this place is boring” you picked up the drink menu again “I’ll just take a small aperitif” you shrugged. Soon the waiter was back and asked what you wanted to drink then handed you the menu for the meals. “Do I have to take everything? You asked pointing at the complete meals with several courses

“Yes it is customary to do so”

“But there is something in each meal that I don’t like. And I think I’ve never tried half of the stuff and never even heard of some things before” you pouted “I mean here I’d much rather have this vegetable soup with cognac than the carrot soup with coconut milk but not the rest of the meal”

“You do not need to eat the soup if you do not like it” you let out a huff and studied the other meals.

“What’s truffle?”

“A highly prized mushroom”

“So it is expensive?”

“Depending on the sort it is rather expensive” you let out a huff and considered the whole meal again

“I think I take this one. I want to try this mushroom” you looked at him “But… there’s meat with the main course… I don’t think you want that”

“You are free to eat whatever you want. You do not need to give meat a miss just because I am with you”

“Okay” you folded the card and put it on your table. You had no idea how you were supposed to eat this all, after all there were 4 courses and you probably had never eaten this much. Your drinks came and after touching glasses with Spock you drank your aperitif before you turned around to watch the fish again with a smile. “I like this place”

“This is good to hear”

“So this is a restaurant you usually eat? Is that rather your atmosphere?”

“More than a diner but I only eat here for special occasions”

“So this is a special occasion?” you felt your heart miss a beat when you thought how he could propose or something and started grinning stupidly.

“Do I need a special occasion to go eating with you and show you something new?” you shrugged.

“I think I need go to the toilet” you left the table and had to find your way to the toilets. You had never believed that you could be in awe because of a bathroom but now you were. If only you could take a photo, when you were done you looked around again, making a mental note to ask Spock if you could borrow his phone to take a photo. When you tried to tell the woman who had entered the bathroom shortly before you left how beautiful it was she looked at you like you were an alien. “Spock” you shouted when you were back in the main dining room and hurried back to your table, almost colliding with a waiter “Sorry” you shouted and plopped down on your chair “Have you seen their bathroom? It’s amazing and it smelled so nice like… I don’t know but usually, bathrooms at a public place have this typical bathroom smell but this one smells very nice”

“(Y/N)” he said “Please try to lower your voice”

“Right sorry” only now you noticed that there was something on your plate “What’s this? That can’t be my soup? Where does this come from? And more importantly _what_ is this?” you eyed the red foam with the sprouts and the flower on it critically “is that supposed to be some kind of decoration?”

“No, it is simply an Amuse-bouche”

“That sounds French”

“It is indeed French and means as much as ‘mouth amuser’” you frowned

“Well we had exactly that at the Stella. Just instead of this weird stuff we’d just suck the cust-…”

“I think I can imagine it quite well” he said and you gave a shrug, trying to figure out how you had to eat this foam or mousse until you just picked up the spoon it was on and scooped it all into your mouth. You tried to determine what the red stuff was but you had no chance

“Do you have any idea what that red stuff was?”

“I am quite certain it was beetroot”

“Ah” shortly after your first course, the ginger-lemon curry soup came. You stared at the different cutlery but then saw that the bowl it came in had handles like a cup so you took it into your hands and drank from it. “Ah shit it’s hot!” you almost dropped the cup and pressed the serviette to your mouth. “And bwah, this soup makes my mouth go… whoosh. It’s spicy and sour and my taste buds are over challenged”

“I suppose that is normal when you try new food” you gave a shrug and spotted the right spoon for the soup, deciding to take this one to avoid having your mouth burned again.

“It actually tastes quite good after a while. But honestly, who comes up with these food? A hazelnut-risotto with leek? And why would I want caramelized goat cheese with a pear mousse for dessert? Has there been someone trying to use all the ingredients they had for a meal? Like they thought ‘Let’s just use all the leftovers we have’. It wouldn’t surprise me if they serve me sprinkles with my chicken breast filet. Or maybe even roasted onion and garlic in my lavender-caramel crème?”

“If you have not tried it you cannot know if it will be tasty or not” you gave a shrug and finished your soup in small portions because otherwise the unknown flavors really were too much. Not much after you were done, you got your salad.

“Is that a place for old people?”

“Why do you ask?”

“They included this foamy thing again” you said, pointing at the green stuff in the middle of the salad. “I mean is it not more work to mash the stuff? Why don’t they just mix everything together and make a puree out of it? Besides… why is the portion only so small? Sure it is nicely decorated but I bet the person doing this had longer than I’ll have for eating it. Food doesn’t need to look nice. It only needs to be good. Just take a good spoonful and put it on the plate. Maybe you can still include the flower at the top. But all the other knick-knack is not necessary. Or do they need to save money that they only give such small portions? But they look like they have a lot of money. I mean this whole place looks expensive, so why not serving a portion that justifies the price? If all portions are that small I don’t know if I can get enough food”

“If you still feel hungry when we leave, we can stop somewhere so that you can get something else”

“Hm. I’d actually really like a burger. Can we go to McDonalds? There’s one not too far away from the Stella”

“As I said, if you still want something to eat after we leave, we can do so” you gave a nod and smiled, staring at the different forks until you just picked up the biggest one and started eating. From the corner of your eye you noticed how some guests were staring at you, what confused you

“Everyone’s looking… did I do something wrong?”

“You could not know this but the fork on the farthest left is chosen for the salad” he held it up and you started to feel stupid. Of course it made sense to put the fork you needed first at the outside.

“Oh” you wiped the fork you had used on the serviette and took the fork Spock had showed you to eat the rest of your salad. It took a bit longer until the main course came but when it did you were a bit disappointed by the small portion again “So what is this truffle now?” you started picking up different things to show them to Spock until it turned out that the truffle was the ultra-thin cornflake like thing with a dark crust. You looked at it before eating it to determine its taste, only to grimace “That smells like dirt. Honestly, I could just eat a handful of dirt and I wouldn’t know a difference. How can that be an expensive mushroom?”

“(Y/N) please lower your voice or else people will look again” by looking around you could say that they already were doing that “You may just put the truffles aside if you do not like them”

“I mean they’re not not good but I can’t see why it is expensive. Maybe it’ll taste better when I eat it with the rest”

“That is the purpose of the truffle. It is often used for seasoning”

“Oh that makes sense. Although I don’t know how someone can want their meal to taste like dirt. Except if you are a worm” you giggled and again looked at the forks, deciding to take the biggest one this time, after all after this course you only had the dessert left and you couldn’t eat a crème with a fork.

“I hope you can enjoy it” Spock said

“It’s okay” you said “How’s yours?”

“What I have tried so was tasty”

“Good” you muttered and again had to consider which knife you should take and finally decided to use the bigger one. Since the plate wasn’t very full you had also finished this course rather quickly and the time you waited for the dessert seemed endless, so you went to the toilet again. Before you returned to the table you walked around in the room to have a look at everything because it fascinated you.

“Are you searching for something, Ma’am?” you almost winced and turned to the waiter

“Uh… no I’m just looking around here. That is a really great place. Everything is so beautiful”

“Why thank you” you giggled “Would you allow me to bring you back to your table?”

“No I’m fine. I know where to go” somehow you had a feeling that he didn’t like it that you were walking around so you decided to return to your table. “I really like this old style” you told your boyfriend “But also modern places like your house look great. But sometimes I think your place is a little empty. Because you kinda have no decoration or so. Except for the stuff in your private office and the painting in the living room”

“If you want you can buy something if you like”

“No. Because this is your house and you decorated it as you want best. I don’t want to put new stuff there that you don’t like”

“You are free to decorate your room with whatever you wish”

“Oh look the dessert is coming” you squealed and pointed at the waiter, impatiently waiting for him to put yours in front of you. “Thank you” almost instantly you dug into the crème and grimaced again “Bwah. Putting lavender in there must’ve been a mistake. It makes it so…. I don’t know… lavender is not something you should eat. It is only there for a good smell. In my opinion”

“I agree that its main use is in the cosmetic industry but it can also be used as spice”

“Well in a caramel crème it only does bad things”

“If you do not like it, we can swap desserts”

“What did you get?”

“Cinnamon ice cream with rum preserved plums and chocolate sauce”

“Oh that sounds pretty normal”

“You may have it if you want” you bit your lip

“But only if it’s okay with you”

“I insisted that we go here, knowing you probably will be surprised by some of the combinations. And you have expressed your wish to mix different meals earlier”

“Okay. Might be better if I eat it anyway. I mean you’re allergic to chocolate after all”

“That is why I requested the chocolate extra” he also handed you a small jug filled with chocolate

“Why didn’t you just say you don’t want chocolate if you were not gonna eat it at all?”

“It was more polite to request of the chocolate to be separated than to leave it away altogether” you frowned

“Doesn’t make sense to me because it means more effort but okay” you gave him your own cream before starting to pour the chocolate over the ice cream and the plums. Of course there was too much of the sauce so you decided to eat the rest of it later on. Oddly, you were mostly looking forward to this because you knew how chocolate sauce tasted. Of course you have had cinnamon before but never as ice cream. You knew rum and plums but not together. At least the dessert was good and you cleaned the plate with your finger, not wanting to waste anything before you wanted to eat the rest of the sauce

“(Y/N), no” Spock hissed and you looked at him

“Huh?”

“Do not do this”

“But there’s sauce left” you protested

“Please, this is not the place to do such things”

“Why? At the Stella we…”

“This is not the Stella”

“I’m not stupid, I know that. But maybe you should have thought about telling me how to behave in such a place before we came here…”

“I have assumed you would behave as you usually do when you are confronted with something unknown and turn shy”

“So you mean you liked me better that way? When I still was so in awe with ‘your’ world?”

“(Y/N), please”

“See? I’m embarrassing you and you just don’t know how to tell me” you had gotten louder but this time you didn’t care that people were looking and you just shot them a death glare.

“No, you are not…”

“Then why do you keep trying to shush me? I noticed that something was bothering you but I didn’t think that it could be my behavior. You could have told me in the beginning that I’m behaving ‘wrong’ instead of letting me make a fool of myself” you pushed your chair back and got up

“Where are you going?”

“Home”

“That is too far away”

“I meant the Stella. Because whether you like it or not, it still feels like a home. There I can be how I want and people love me” in your anger you knocked over your glass before you turned around and left, ignoring the waiters that were trying to ask you what was wrong. When you arrived outside you let out a huff and tried to remember from which way you had come so that you would find the Stella. Or maybe, if you just found a place that was familiar you could easily find your way there. You felt tears in your eyes and although you tried to hold them back they still started rolling down your cheeks. Of course you had not believed your relationship would be always easy. But right now you were certain that you could never fit together. The differences between the two of you just were too many. Maybe it was better if you went back to the life you were used to. Raising your head high, you marched away from the restaurant, heading towards the Stella. You had made it through two streets when you heard a whistle from behind. As always, you turned in the direction

“Oh look, she’s interested” three younger men stood against the wall, grinning at you

“What do you want?”

“Whatever you’re up to”

“No” you said, knowing what they meant “Leave me alone”

“Now, aren’t you interested at all” you raised your eyebrows

“How much would you pay?” they laughed and you used that chance to walk away from them but one of them caught up with you and grabbed your arm “Let me go!”

“No, no, let’s talk. If each of us gave you five dollars… would you do it?” that meant 15$ for you, which probably wouldn’t even be the worst deal. But then you remembered your boyfriend. That was, if Spock still wanted you.

“I’ve got a better deal” you glared at him, ripping your arm free. “Keep your money and fuck yourself” with that you ran past them into the direction you had come from. A part of you was kinda shocked after what had happened and not all your senses were fully functional. This was why you only heard the approaching car when it came to a screeching halt. Luckily, you managed to jump aside in the last second. Before you knew it, an instinct to run away kicked in because it was never good when a car halted next to you. This usually was shortly before something happened to one of your friends. And also in some movies people got abducted in vans. Although that was no van. Unfortunately, you ran right back into the men’s arms by running away

“Looks like you changed your mind, sweetheart”

“I said leave me alone” you heard a car door being slammed shut and with a gulp you tried to run away but the man stopped you by grabbing your wrist

“Where to so quickly?” just great. You were in big trouble right now.


	11. Chapter 11

You more or less just stared at the guy holding your wrist, hoping it would intimidate him

“What are you trying to achieve? If you want me to kiss you could just ask” when he leaned down to actually try and kiss you, you slammed your head forward, right against his nose before bringing your knee up between his legs. With a surprised, painful gasp he let go of you and you ran away from them and the car again. To your dismay, these men were still after you and you knew you could not outrun them. Because although you had always worn heels, they just weren’t made for running. But you couldn’t stop and take them off right now. Only after you had run around the next corner

“Where are you going, you whore? You’ll pay for what you did to Jerry” as if Jerry had not provoked it, you thought as you pressed yourself against the wall and took off your shoes, hoping you could use the thin heel as a weapon when they came. When you heard the footsteps coming closer, you pressed the shoes against your chest and took a deep breath. You only wanted to attack them, hopefully hurting one of them and then change the direction that you gained a bit more head start. You wanted to go back to the restaurant, after all they had to behave there. But there still was the person from the car. You hoped they were not mad at you because they almost hit you. But it was better than someone who wanted to do you harm. Maybe said person had even returned to the car already. When one of the creepers came around the corner, you leapt at him tackling him with such a force that you both fell to the ground. Unfortunately, the second one was there as well and pulled you up and hit you across the face. Before he could strike a second time, he got a fist to his jaw himself. Just a second later he found himself being pressed against the wall by none other than Spock. That was when you put two and two together. He had been in the car that almost overrun you. Which also explained why he got out of the car, he must have wanted to check on you and didn’t know why you ran away from him.

“What do you think gives you the right to treat a woman like this?” he growled at the one he was still holding against the wall

“I-I’m sorry I didn’t want to anger anyone”

“Are you trying to say it would have been acceptable if she had been alone?” the one you had thrown to the floor took a glance at Spock then decided to scarper but within a second Spock had let go of his friend and held the other one by the back of his neck, spinning him around while his first victim actually ran away. “If I ever get word of you touching a woman without her consent, it will be the last time you have touched anything with said hand, do you understand?”

“I-I’m sorry, man” Spock let go of him but not before having hit him as well. Then he turned to you

“Are you injured in any way? Have they hurt you?”

“No” you said. Something in you wanted to just hug him but you still were mad at him. When he moved closer, you took a step back and luckily he stopped

“Come” he said

“To where?” you asked, crossing your arms

“I am bringing you to the Stella”

“No. I’m going alone. I don’t want to see you”

“Fine, you may be mad at me in the car a but I am not letting you walk there”

“I can take care of myself”

“You have been out for five minutes and you got molested and almost overrun by a car”

“To be fair _you_ almost overran me with the car. Had you not been there I would have been gone. They haven’t even followed me”

“Why did you return to them?”

“Because where I come from it’s never a good sign if a car stops next to you. I’m not a street walker, they want cars to stop” he let out a sigh

“Please” he said “Let me drive you to the Stella” you looked at your right shoe and saw that the heel had broken off, so you weren’t going anywhere with these shoes anymore. Therefore, you just gave a nod and followed him silently “Are you not going to put your shoes on?”

“Heel broke off” you muttered. He stopped and asked for the other shoe. To your horror he broke off the heel and handed it back to you. But then you understood, you could just put them on and walk without the heels “Thanks” you put the shoes back on and the first couple of steps were hard to make and you saw how Spock reached out to support you but you whipped around “Don’t touch me” you growled and he instantly took a step back, apologizing. You let out a huff and continued walking after him, noticing the Jerry, who you had hit and kicked wasn’t there anymore. You wondered if he had met Spock too.

-

The drive to the Stella was silent except for your boyfriend’s apology which you only acknowledged with a grunt. Of course you knew that maybe you should not be mad at him but you didn’t want to forgive him right now. Before you got out of the car you turned to him

“Thanks for the ride. But I’ll take the bus home”

“Are you certain? Do you have money?”

“Yes”

“And you know which stop…”

“Ye-hes” you muttered he looked at you then reached into the small storage compartment in front of the passenger seat and rummaged before taking out a small flip phone which he handed to you.

“I trust you still know my number?”

“What is that for?”

“Emergencies. Although I do not think you will need it. Call me and I will come and get you” you gave a nod and couldn’t help a smile.

“Thanks” you put it in your little bag and looked at him “Bye” you muttered and got out, closing the door behind you. With a sigh you entered the Stella and couldn’t help a big smile. The security guard at the entrance looked at you, then tilted his head and then held out his hand to you. He obviously wanted your papers to see if you were of age. This made you roll your eyes “Oh come on, Paul, don’t you recognize me?” you pushed your dress apart a little so that he could see your Stella tattoo with your name and his face lit up too

“(Y/N)! Heard you got bought. What brings you here? How are you doing?”

“I’m fine. I’m here for a visit because we’ve been in the area. How is everyone?”

“Quite well… but since you left a girl was killed and another kidnapped”

“What?”

“Yes. Angelica is dead and Stacey is missing”

“Oh no. I-is that my fault?”

“I don’t know. But Oliver blames you” you gulped

“And they also got a new baby”

“Really? Aw that’s cute. Well then uhm… I’ll be inside” he nodded and told you to take care. Once inside you breathed in the familiar smell and looked around feeling a little bit lost

“Oh. My. God” you heard someone say and then Mary came running towards you, engulfing you in a hug “You’re back! How are you?”

“I’m fine”

“How is your new life?”

“Great. I love it”

“What about your buyer?”

“Spock is always very nice”

“How good is he?” you instantly knew what she was referring to

“We haven’t had sex yet”

“Really?”

“No. He said he’d only do it after we dated for six months of if we get married”

“Wait you’re dating him?”

“Dating who?” Jenny who had approached you too asked “It’s great to see, you (Y/N)! How are you?” in that moment you realized that you probably had to explain everything several times.

“Come on, we’ll get us a couch and you can tell us everything” Mary wrapped an arm around you and started leading you towards the couches where usually customers sat. Of course you were joined by a lot of other girls came to greet you and even a few regulars greeted you with a short nod of the head. The girls all followed you and started asking questions and also some that were on the entertainment floor looked at you, waving happily while some just came over to you. You sat down on the couch and the girls started sitting in each other’s laps and on the floor so that they all could listen to you

“Wow, (Y/N), you’re living every customer’s dream”

“Hi Garett” you grinned and he joined you as well. Of course you were instantly bombarded with questions which you all answered patiently until Oliver marched straight towards you

“What the hell is this? Get back to work! All of you!”

“But Ollie… don’t you see who’s back?” Gracie wrapped an arm around you and Ollie stared at you in disbelief before nodding at you

“Still, go back to work, you had your fun”

“Meh” it was no surprise that not all of the girls listened

“I think I should go upstairs to visit those that have today off”

“Do that” Oliver said “And afterwards you come to my office” you gulped but gave a nod and began climbing up the stairs. Theresa came out of the room where the smaller children lived and her whole face lit up when she saw you. Only when she was hurrying towards you did you see that she was carrying a baby in her arms

“Hello (Y/N)” she placed a hand on your cheek “You look fantastic” you smiled

“Thanks”

“How are you doing?”

“I’m very good”

“Is your new life good?”

“Yes. I love it” she started asking more questions about it until the baby began crying.

“Oh no... shhh. It’s alright” she cooed, gently rocking the little one “I suppose the others have told you about Anne?”

“Yeah. I heard much about her” you stared at the little girl and Theresa asked if you wanted to hold her. When you looked into the tiny face a strange feeling overcame you. Usually, when you met a new girl, you instantly saw her as a sister. Not so this time. It just was a baby. A cute baby but you didn’t really feel a connection to her. “She’s so cute”

“I know. She will be a great charmer once” she chuckled and took the baby “Sally, Eileen, Aliza, Tilly, Jessie and Lexie have off today. In case you wanted to talk to them”

“Oh sure. Are they in our old room? I mean now Eileen and Aliza’s room?”

“I think so” you nodded and walked towards the door after you had given Anne back to Theresa who was still trying to calm her. You knocked at the door

“Oh God, Betty, I swear why do you always forget something?”

“It’s not Betty” you said and not much later the door was ripped open

“My God, (Y/N)! You’re back!” Aliza shrieked and hugged you, shortly after the others were there to and you were in a group hug and then they pulled you inside the room and again you had to answer their questions and told them everything from your first day to what had happened today ere you came here. Then they updated you on what had happened. You learnt more about Angelica’s death and Stacey’s disappearance and that Ollie had apparently cursed about you quite a lot because he found this was your fault. After all Romulanos were responsible for the harm done to the girls. And you too felt guilty because you agreed with him. Somehow it made you afraid to go to his office later on.

“Oh and by the way” Eileen said with a grin “We’ve got something for you”

“Really? What is it?” she took out a movie and handed it to you “Pretty Woman” you read “What’s this?”

“You’ll love it” Aliza let out a giggle

“Watch it with Spock. It describes your situation almost perfectly”

“Really?”

“Yes. You have to watch it”

“Okay” you gave her the DVD back

“No, you take it with you. Then you have to come and visit us”

“But if you say the movie is so good you might want to watch it too. And I want it too”

“Will Spock like it? I don’t think our Mister Mafia likes such movies”

“Well he will watch that one with me” you smiled and once again tried to give the DVD back and this time, they took it.

-

Somehow you didn’t want to leave and you didn’t know if it was because you enjoyed talking so much or because you feared going to Ollie’s office. Then you decided to just go there so that you could enjoy the rest of the night there. You had planned to go home in the early morning because you doubted that busses were driving in the night. And you really didn’t want to go back outside again in the night.

“You wanted to see me?” you asked Oliver upon entering his office

“Yes. I suppose you’ve heard what happened to two of the girls?”

“I-I did. And I’m so sorry. I never wanted that to happen. But how can it be? Spock promised me that he took care of the ones that wanted to buy me”

“That’s the problem with Mafia. There’s always a next one who’ll try to avenge the people you got rid of” you gulped “And you should not have come back. Because if a Romulano sees you here he could try to get you”

“Suddenly you care?”

“I always cared. I just didn’t want to risk other girls too. Which turned out fantastically because you had to interfere” of course you could see that one dead and a girl abducted was worse than if just you had been in trouble but you couldn’t help but feel relieved that you were safe. More than safe.

“But what do you want from me?”

“Did you pay an entrance fee?”

“No, of course not! I showed Paul the tattoo and he let me in”

“Just as I thought… I don’t like it if people just get in without entry. Even if they worked here”

“Excuse me but I lived here! These people are my family. Do you expect me to pay every time I want to come and visit? Would you pay to go and visit your family? That’s fucking absurd”

“How about you buy a month’s pass? I’ll be generous and let it last for 6 months”

“What? You can’t expect me to pay now that I am not working here anymore!”

“You don’t want to pay, fine. But then let me have something of it too. You distracted the girls from work. I already got three complaints because they just left to see you! Couldn’t you have come when we’re closed?”

“I was in the area! I don’t understand your problem”

“The thing is, you owe me something”

“Owe you? You got 50’000 for me and you don’t need to ‘feed’ me anymore! And according to you I’ve not been of much use lately anyway”

“But thanks to you, I lost two other girls. Angelica was very popular. We made a huge loss when we lost her because some people just decided to not come again when she’s gone”

“It’s not like we chose that she doesn’t work here anymore. Men are stupid. I always said that. Besides, you sound like all that bothers you about her death has to do with business”

“All I ask of you is that you pay your entrance fee. Or buy the pass if you want to come again”

“If I want to come again? Of course I want to see them”

“Fine. $100 it is then, I will make it last for 6 months”

“I don’t have that much money with me. Only about 15 dollars”

“That’s not even enough for a normal fee”

“Because your idea is bullshit. I bet if I asked Theresa she’d be in a rage”

“Don’t you dare telling her!”

“But I don’t have enough money. And I don’t want to pay”

“Good, then you’ll work. Choose a customer and make sure he books you for 3 hours and we forget the thing”

“What?”

“You heard me right” you glared at the man, not able to believe what he said

“Why do you hate me so much?”

“I don’t hate you. It’s nothing personal, just thinking about business” he smiled and you had had enough

“You know what?” you pulled out the flip phone and looked at it before you typed in Spock’s number

“Yes?” he answered

“Spock, it’s (Y/N). You’ll never guess what Ollie just told me!” you explained what the owner asked of you and Spock was silent for a while

“Can you give him the phone?”

“Yes” you held the phone to Ollie who stared at you angrily “He asked for you” you said, crossing your arms and sitting down. Oliver just wanted to say something but apparently Spock was quicker and for about two minutes your former boss just was listening, occasionally trying to say something. You had to bite back a grin and you wanted to know what Spock was telling him.

“No” Ollie then said “I’m not accepting a check! Cash or credit card” he was silent again “Yeah that’s what I want” again Spock seemed to be talking “What do you think I am? Of course I’ll leave her alone... mh-hm… yes that too” he rolled his eyes and then ended the call “I believe that guy has some aggression problems” he said after tossing the phone back in your direction

“Well that’s your fault” you muttered “What now?”

“He said he’ll come here and pay” he grinned and got up “You stay right where you are” he left the office and you were wondering what he wanted to do but for some reason you listened, inspecting the phone closer whereupon you found a mini game preinstalled and decided to pass your time with it. About fifteen minutes later Spock came in, looking pretty pissed

“You may want to set up a new security guard at the entrance for now” he said before turning to you and asking if you were okay whereupon you gave a nod.

“What? Why? What did you do to him?”

“I knocked him out after he did not charge me $20 for entrance but insisted it were 50 on your orders” he then put his hands onto the desk and told him in no uncertain words what he thought of the fact that Ollie wanted to charge you for your visits. When you saw how Oliver leant back in his chair, looking a little intimidated you felt glee. And you also were glad that you were not in his position. Spock then ended with insisting that he would not let you pay and if Oliver ever mentioned it again he would regret it.

“Can I talk to him alone?” Oliver said and you gave a nod, leaving the office. Of course you were interested in what was going on but somehow you also liked being back with the others and you sat down at the bar, talking with the girls who worked behind it. A guy who was beside you recognized you and tried to touch you but stopped when Gaila casually mentioned how scary it must sound to outsiders that you were dating a big shot of the Mafia with a glance in the man’s direction. Thereupon, the customer left the bar, making you giggle. Not much later another girl came, telling you that Ollie was asking for you again. With a nod you slipped off the chair, thanked Gaila and Claire for the chat and the drink before you returned to the office. Spock stood in front of it with a blank demeanor which made shivers ran down your spine. With a gulp you entered the office after looking back to him and closed the door.

“What is it?” you asked

“I’ve told him what I wanted and he agreed”

“He paid the fee?”

“No. I told him that I want you back”

“What? But what did he say? He-he didn’t agree?”

“He agreed. So I refunded him the $50’000 and you’ll stay here”


	12. Chapter 12

You felt your heartbeat rate increase

“No” you whimpered “he wouldn’t”

“Come on, don’t be stupid. What would he want with you? Did you really think he loved you?”

“I…” you felt tears in your eyes

“You’ve only cost him money and he had no use for you. But while you cost me too, I can make profit of you. You also don’t fit into his world, as you have clearly seen. Wherever he took you, you found a way to make the both of you look stupid. Which is something a man of his position cannot let happen”

“But…”

“I know it’s hard but maybe it’s for the best” he handed you a tissue and you realized that you were crying “He said he’s letting you keep whatever you want” but you didn’t want to keep the stuff. You wanted to keep him. He let out a sigh and pulled out a piece of paper “Since the situation is special, I think it makes sense if we set up a contract. Like I do for the people that don’t live here. That’s why I changed a few bits concerning your salary. You won’t get 70% of what you earned but your usual 20% and in return you can live here again for free” he placed a pen on it and you looked at him, not sure what to say. “I really know it’s hard but maybe you’re better off without him. He also told me that you should be safe here because we too can protect you”

“He could do so too” you mumbled

“Yes but you surely can see that he has better things to do. Maybe it would have been better for him if he had just gotten a ‘normal’ girlfriend. Someone who doesn’t live with him and all. Then he would have had more time for himself”

“Did I upset him?” you hiccupped

“Not on purpose and not really. But he had admitted that sometimes he realized that he preferred to be living alone”

“He told me I’d never have to go back if I don’t want to”

“Is that true? You don’t want to come back?”

“I-I… I don’t know”

“You were conflicted about leaving too. But this time you know what expects you”

“It’s not like I have a choice” you mumbled, glancing at the pen and picking it up

“I can talk to him again if you want but I don’t think I can change his mind”

“No” you said

“Look, I know that’s mean and unfair but it is like it is. I should have told you that he isn’t good for you. If you had met him under other circumstances you would have seen that too. I’m sure that in a few months you’ll be over it. If you want, I can give you a week off before you start working again, so that you can get used to everything and bring your sleep rhythm into order. I bet you’ll be feeling better when some time has passed. He’s really not worth the tears. You don’t know who he is and what he can do. It would have only been a question of time before he hurt you. So this probably is the best solution for everyone involved” you opened the pen and sluggishly singed the contract, quickly browsing it but you weren’t in a mood to read it “I won’t sign it yet. You should read it again tomorrow or when you feel better so that you can say you agree with it” he put the pen away “You can take it with you, if you want”

“Okay. But you can keep it. I’ll just come back tomorrow” you muttered.

“Good idea. In the meantime, you’d better go to bed. I suppose you’ve been up for quite some time, right? Or do you need something?”

“No” you shook your head. You wanted to say something, so much actually, but you didn’t know what

“Good. I think you can move back into your old room, your bed is still free”

“Oh okay” you gave a nod and gripping your bag tighter, you left the office, looking right in the other direction than were Spock stood, not able to look at him right now. You walked up the stairs and went to your room, this time not knocking and you collapsed right on your bed in tears. It wasn’t before long that someone sat down on the bed and you felt a hand on your shoulder

“What happened?” Eileen asked softly. Between sobs and hiccups you managed to press out that Spock didn’t want you anymore and that you would stay here again

“I-I-I mean it’s not tha-that I’m so sad I have to be here a-again. I ju-just can’t believe he did this”

“It doesn’t make sense. You sounded like the perfect happy couple”

“I know” you screamed and tossed your bag to the floor “I-I just don’t know what to do”

“Maybe you should talk to him again when you feel better?”

“No, of course not. Hearing it from him again personally would completely fuck her up” Tilly said

“I personally would just go downstairs, ram my knee between his legs and march away with my head high” that actually made you chuckle a little and you sat up, whereupon Aliza instantly wrapped her arms around you.

“Or even better; we all go and hit him in the privates. He won’t know what’s happening to him” you hummed in response and wiped your tears away, more to make room for new ones which were sure to follow.

“What do you want? Do you want to eat something? Or would you like to go to bed?”

“I don’t know” you muttered but there was one thing you wanted. You wished that Spock would be the one holding you instead of Aliza.

“Or we could go and see if some of the little ones are still up. Maybe they can cheer you up?”

“Don’t know”

“Or we could watch a movie”

“I actually just want to lie here and cry”

“Do you want us to leave?”

“Dunno”

“Come on, let’s leave. Except for someone in case she wants to talk again or so” Jessie said and heard the others murmur in agreement. They decided that Eileen would stay here and just read a book while the others would move to Sally’s room. After a couple of minutes, there was a knock at the door

“(Y/N)? Are you in there?” you let out a huff “It’s just… Spock he said he wanted to say goodbye” you sat up a little but didn’t know what to say

“Do you want to?” Aliza asked you shrugged then shook your head “Tell him to shove his goodbye up his ass” you were quite certain that Mary actually would tell him exactly this words. Somehow you just wanted to see his reaction.

“Okay” Mary left and shortly after you heard a phone ringing. Aliza jumped up

“What’s this?”

“Must be the phone he gave me. Bag” you muttered and she took it out

“Looks like he doesn’t just want his goodbye up his ass” she said staring at the phone “What?” she barked after answering the call “No, you can’t. She said no. Which is no wonder after what you did…” she sounded like she was super angry which you could understand. A part of you was mad at Spock too. “Playing innocent now? Of course she’s not okay after you basically just refunded her like an unwanted item!” her words were followed by a deep growl “You unders-… you fucking asshole you, you swanky, stupid idiot, you…” she tossed the phone against the wall

“What’d he say?” you mumbled

“He was just like ‘I understand, thank you’ and then hung up. Not even an apology or something. I hope you’ll never have to see him again”

“He said I could keep everything he bought me. But I don’t want that. It would only remind me of what I could have had if I had not been such a clumsy little whore”

“Oi” she hit you with a pillow “You did nothing wrong. That is all his fault. And he is the one who is missing something. Because you’re great. You’re fantastic”

“I just want the things back that I had before he came to my life. Although… I could take everything and give it to the rest of you. I bet it would make you happy”

“Only if you want. And when you’re ready. We could tell him to just put your stuff through the baby-portal if you don’t want to see him. Unless you’re feeling a bit better until then” you shrugged and you were quiet again before someone else knocked at the door

“I was sent here because apparently Ollie has to speak to you again, (Y/N)” It was Rosanna this time. You didn’t really want to go, on the other hand it could be important. So you sat up and dried your tears again before you adjusted your dress a little and then got up, walking downstairs with your head hung low. When you entered Oliver’s office, you froze because you saw Spock inside. A part of you just wanted to leave but somehow you had to know what was going on, so you quickly looked at the older man, who looked like he had gotten beaten. Of course you knew who was responsible for this and it made you tremble.

“Tell her the truth” Spock said in an ice cold tone “No lies, no tricks and no games” he walked to the door and closed it, then standing beside you with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“What does he mean?” you asked, no one in particular

“What I mean” Spock answered when Ollie said nothing after three seconds “is that he lied to you. While he has made me offer to buy you back, I definitely did not accept it and told him that the only reason I would agree to it was if it was your wish to stay here and that he should discuss it with you first. That was when he told you that I would not want you anymore, which is a lie”

“But…” you carefully turned to Spock “Do-do you mean you didn’t want to get rid of me?”

“Why would I?”

“I-I Ollie gave me some very good arguments and… after what happened today I thought you were fed up”

“No” he said “Nothing that happened today or on any other day has changed anything about the way I feel or think about you” you gave a tiny nod, not sure what to do

“But I signed the contract that I’d work for him again. If he signs it too…” Spock stepped closer to Oliver’ desk

“The contract…” he said holding out his hand. With trembling fingers, Ollie handed him the paper and after throwing a short glance at it, Spock ripped it into tiny pieces “… is herewith rendered invalid. Because even if she does not want to be with me anymore I would never let her come back to you” he let the pieces of paper fall to the ground, while you were still trying to comprehend what this meant. When Spock turned back to you, you let out a sob and ran towards him, throwing your arms around him and crying into his chest.

“I-I thought you wouldn’t want me anymore. Or grew bored of me or…”

“No. None of these things are correct. I did not even want to let you go after Oliver has told me about your ‘decision’ to stay”

“Why did you? I mean… you wanted to say goodbye you must have accepted the fact I want to stay”

“After what has happened between us today I thought you were the one who would not want me anymore” you shook your head

“Never. I just wanted to be mad at you. Even if that sounds weird.” he placed a hand at the back of your head and slowly stroked your hair. “Thank you”

“For what?”

“Don’t know. Everything” you muttered “But mainly not wanting to give me back”

“As I said, there was no reason to do so and I am glad that you too want to stay with me” he buried his nose in your hair, then he let go of you “There is something I need to resolve with Mr. Walker. You can stay if you want.” Since you wanted to know what it was you gave a nod and turned back to the man, who was sitting in his chair, looking rather pale “I suppose you know that the protection racket you pay results in us protecting you and the women working here from the police and other Mafia families. But right now it seems to me like we are required to protect the women from you as well”

“What do you mean?”

“I am certain you know that yourself. I will ensure that from tonight on, two members of the Azienda will be here to supervise you and if I get informed about the slightest form of harm done to the women by you or discomfort that you could have prevented, you will be removed from the business and we take over the Stella” Oliver gulped

“I assure you that everything is alright. Nothing is going wrong. I mean okay… I was mean to (Y/N) but I never liked her particularly well because well… she’s not the best at her job”

“If you are so certain that everything is as it should be, you have nothing to fear of the… inspection. And I will also have the women interviewed to see if they know of anything you might have done and decided to get rid of before said inspection. Is that understood?”

“Uh yes…”

“And to ensure that you cannot threaten all of the girls into silence, I will take two of them with me and listen to their stories personally tomorrow”

“O-okay”

“That is all” Spock said and turned back to, then changed his mind “No, in fact…” he grabbed him by the collar and socked him on the jaw “this is for insulting my girlfriend. Should I ever hear about you speaking negatively of her again, you will lose your tongue” he let go of the man and placed a hand on your shoulder instead “Would you please go and choose two of your friends that will accompany us?” you gave a nod but before you left, you grabbed him by the jacket and crashed your lips onto his. With a smile you let go of him and ran upstairs again

“Wow, what happened to you now?” Aliza asked

“Get out of your pajama, we’re going on a ride”

“What? What’s going on? What happened to cheer you up?”

“Ollie lied. Spock never wanted to give me back”

“Oh (Y/N) I knew it! I knew he wouldn’t do such a thing. But what ride?” you told him what Spock had ‘agreed on’ with Oliver “Wait, we’re going to your place?” you gave a nod and she squealed again, falling around your neck “Who else is coming?”

“I don’t know yet. I thought maybe Eileen”

“Oh yes, this is gonna be so much fun!” you didn’t listen to her rambling as she got out of her night shirt and walked to Sally’s room to tell Eileen to get ready. Of course the others insisted that they wanted to come as well and you didn’t know what to say.

“We only have three free seats in the car” you said and so they played rock paper scissor and Lexie won.

“Well girls” she said, flipping her hair back “Have fun in this hole while I’m gonna see an actual house” you rolled your eyes at her joke but they quickly got ready and Aliza came with your bag

“I think I might have destroyed the phone when I threw it against the wall. But don’t tell Spock” she giggled as you went downstairs

“Wait, shouldn’t we tell Theresa?”

“I’m sure she’ll know even before we can leave” Spock was waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs

“Uh… they all wanted to come with us and they played rock paper scissors and Lexie won. Can she come too?”

“I do not see a problem with that” the three women squealed and Spock raised an eyebrow. Somehow he looked like he was sure he was gonna regret it. Before you could leave, Theresa was coming down the stairs, as you had predicted

“What the fuck is going on here?” she more or less pushed your friends aside and stopped right in front of Spock. She was almost a head smaller than him but she glared up at him, poking a finger into his chest “Are you causing all the trouble?” you had to give her one thing. She was a though woman. When you were younger you had been surprised about how she talked to Ollie at times but she now just managed to impress you again with the way she addressed someone with a reputation like Spock. In quick words, he explained what was going on and Theresa gave a grim nod “Maybe your investigation has become useless already because my dear uncle is trying to force through a new rule that will force my girls to have sex more than once a week or their ‘salary’ is cut”

“I understand. Thank you for the information. But I still will initiate the surveillance”

“Good. But if you let anything happen to any of the girls I will finish you off” she removed the finger from his chest giving a nod, making you chuckle. Before she let you go, Theresa hugged you and again told you to be careful. Almost everyone was watching as you walked to the car. The three others decided to sit in the rear seats while you got to the passenger seat.

“This car is nice” Eileen said “Much nicer than the car I lost my virginity in” Spock threw a glance at you with and raised eyebrow, making you shrug slightly with a smile.

“Well” you said turning to your friends “This are Eileen, Aliza and Lexie” you pointed at them

“But you can call me whatever you like, if you know what I mean” Lexie said

“Thank you but as you surely know, I am taken” he brushed his hand against yours, making you smile.

“Well, it was worth a try though. It’s not every day that you get to meet a Mafia underboss so close up”

“Oh yeah? You got the Azienda’s boss a couple of weeks ago, Al” Aliza had a grin on her face

“I know. And he was so fucking good. I swear he has such skilled fingers but they’re nothing in contrast to his tongue. And let’s not forget” she used her two thumbs to give you a measure of length while she formed a circle with the forefinger and thumb of her right hand too for the diameter. The other two squealed, while Spock gripped the steering wheel

“I did _not_ need to know that” he muttered to himself.


	13. Chapter 13

Once you had arrived at Spock’s house, the other women were over thrilled and your boyfriend told you to show them around a bit because there was something he had to take care of. Somehow you were quite certain this had to do with the investigation at the Stella. After the short tour you went to your room and sat down on the bed.

“Okay I’m gonna say it first. This house is perfect. I mean better than I even imagined it. And you really live here?”

“Yeah”

“Do you ever feel like a princess sometimes?”

“A little at the beginning. But it’s only a guest bed so actually the bed I had at the Stella was a little more comfortable”

“Oh well the house is still great” Aliza smiled “Although I must admit the best part about it definitely is Spock” you glanced at her “What? He is hot” you felt your cheeks grow warmer

“Well yeah he is” you said quietly

“But let’s face it, his hair is kinda weird. Who has such bangs nowadays? How does he cut them? Put a bowl over his head and voilà?” you shrugged

“But his hair is really soft” you admitted.

“Good I’m just gonna say it now, (Y/N)” Eileen said and took a deep breath “I’m jealous of you. But on the other hand... I don’t think Spock really is my type. But I’d take the house without hesitation” you chuckled. There was a knock at the door and the other girls let out a scream and you allowed him to come in

“I have prepared the second guestroom and the living room so that two of you can sleep there. But two of you will need to share a room respectively a bed”

“Or...” Aliza said mysteriously “you could share your bed with (Y/N)” the two others broke out in giggles again. You probably would have found it funny too if you had not been so embarrassed.

“And that it doesn’t get too hot you should both remove your clothing” Eileen topped.

“I cannot say if (Y/N) will be sympathetic to either of your suggestions”

“Oh but she’s already shared a bed with countless men” Eileen said, putting a hand on your shoulder and grinning at you “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind to sleep with you. If you get what I mean”

“I do” again squealing from the others while your head grew even hotter. A part of you started to regret to have taken them with you. You wondered if maybe Spock did too.

“In fact, (Y/N) has already complained that you two haven’t...”

“That’s enough” you stopped her with a glare then turned to Spock “But uh... they are right in one point. I would not mind sharing a bed with you” he gave a nod “But somehow I don’t know if they even will go to bed now, after all they usually only go to bed in the morning”

“No, (Y/N), what are you talking about? We are all so tired and will need to go to bed instantly and occupy them the whole night!” Aliza’s voice was dripping with sarcasm and as if on cue, they all started faking yawns.

“In that case you should get ready for bed. (Y/N), you may join me once you are ready. I wish the rest of you a good night” he left and closed the door, resulting in Aliza and Eileen high fiving

“Mission accomplished, (Y/N) is gonna sleep in Spock’s bed. Just maybe we should lower the temperature so that you have no choice but to cuddle if you want to stay warm”

“But did you hear him at the end? He sounded so done with this shit” Lexie snickered while you got your pajama from your bed and got changed before you had to go to the bathroom to get ready for bed

“So uh... I actually am tired. But you guys can stay here. Can you just try to be a bit quiet? You took out your tablet “There are some movies on it that you can watch. Or books you could read”

“Do you mean he has no DVDs?”

“He does. Quite a collection actually but then I’d need to show you how to use the DVD player and all and one, I’m too tired and two I don't even know if Spock would approve of you using it. No offence”

“No that’s okay. I bet you’ll get up in a couple of hours anyway” a glance to the time told you that it was almost 3 AM. You just gave a nod and let out a yawn before you wished them a good night and left to go to the bathroom and then upstairs with a fast beating heart.

“Hi” you said in the doorframe of his bedroom and he asked you to come in and close the door. You stopped in front of the bed and he looked up from his book

“You do not have to sleep here if you do not want to”

“No it’s...” you said climbing into the bed and under the covers “I don’t know… I’m happy you let me sleep here” he put the book on his nightstand, switched off the lamp and turned to you. It took you a moment to be able to see better in the dark and you moved closer to him until your foreheads touched “Spock?” you whispered after a while “I’m sorry about everything that happened this evening. How I behaved in the restaurant, before you brought me to the Stella and the whole misunderstanding, I...” he placed a finger on your lips

“You could not know how to behave in the restaurant because I have never told you. In fact, I found some of the things you did or said insightful or even cute” you chuckled and his finger moved to your cheek “And after our fight your behavior on the street was justified and logical, you had a right to be mad at me. As for the incident at the Stella, it is definitely not your fault because you have been lied to”

“I just can’t believe it. I should have known but you wouldn’t sell me back like this. But the thing is... I knew Ollie all my life. I had never thought he would lie about something like this. After all we all have looked up to him since we were little because he protected us and all. But as of lately I always had to see that maybe it’s not all his doing. I don’t want to dare to think what would have become of us if Theresa was not there for us”

“She is indeed a great mother figure to you” you giggled

“The way she treated you like a toddler who didn’t listen” you could see a small smile on his face and he leant closer, pressing a sweet kiss to your lips.

“I hope you still could enjoy the evening”

“Yeah. I mean despite all my tirades at the restaurant I did enjoy it. It just was not something I was used to”

“Would you like to?”

“Get used to such places? I don’t know. Maybe you can take me to a restaurant that you really like next time”

“Agreed”

“Speaking of food... the other three surely will get hungry quite soon... maybe I should…” you wanted to leave the bed but he stopped you

“I am certain they know how to open a fridge. They will find something to eat” you gave a nod

“Right. But they definitely will be hungry at around seven AM and require a big dinner before they go to bed. That’s how we usually ate. Breakfast after getting up, something small like a sandwich at around this time and then something like dinner before we went to bed after the club closed”

“I see. I will take care of it” you gave a nod and got comfortable again “(Y/N)?” he said a short while later

“Hm?” you hummed, tracing patterns on his chest with your forefinger.

“I do not want anything like tonight to ever happen again. I cannot lose you like I believe I had. And I also wish to protect you from anything or anyone that could do you harm”

“How do you want to do this? By making a contract or so? ‘(Y/N) is not allowed to ever leave me again?’ Wouldn’t that be against Azienda rules? Or law in general, it does sound like slavery”

“Not if it is done in a certain way”

“Huh?” he moved closer

“Do you remember the reason we have started the relationship?”

“To see if we fit together?”

“Yes. If you would agree to it, I still want to marry you, more than ever” you let out a small gasp

“Is it a proposal this time?”

“Yes” you felt hear heart beat faster as you had to give yourself a while to process it

“I....” you started “I would love that. But I still don’t know how to be a wife”

“Nothing has to change between us. But a marriage contract makes you a part of the family and no one could ever take you from me again unless we both agree to it” you smiled and ran your hand over the side of his face

“When?” you asked

“When what?” you giggled

“When do we get married?”

“We can start planning after you agreed” you rolled your eyes

“Of course it’s a yes, you....” he cut you off with a kiss, making you grin. He sat up and leant over you, prompting you to roll yourself onto your back that he had to come after you if he didn't’ want to break the kiss.

-

When you got up and walked down the next morning, you heard that Spock had already left and only Eileen was still awake, reading a book at the kitchen table

“Oh finally you’re up”

“Did you wait for me?”

“The others forced me to. Did you two fuck last night?”

“No” you said

“Damn. Why not?”

“Because he said we could wait another week or so until we get married”

“Wait you what? No, don’t tell me he proposed” you grinned

“He did” Eileen squealed

“Oh my God, that’s even better. Come here” she came over to you and hugged you tightly. “That will be so much fun. Are we invited to the wedding?”

“I can’t say. We don’t even know how ‘public’ we will make it. But I’d like some of you to come”

“Of course. We want to be there on your big day” she grabbed your arms and shook you “I’m so happy for you. That’s really even better than sex” she patted your hand and then looked at it “No ring?”

“I don’t need a ring” you said

“But you want a wedding ring?”

“I don’t know yet”

“I would. Then you could still put it on a necklace. Do you think Spock wants one?”

“Maybe? I don’t know. We haven’t discussed that yet”

“Oh” she let out another yawn “Well then I go to bed” she patted your shoulder “There’s dinner in the fridge. Some guy came here and cooked for us. Does he have cooks?”

“No just a home help. I suppose that was one of his men”

“Nice that they just come and cook for him” you shrugged and didn’t mention that sometimes they would also ‘babysit’ you as they called it. You had a look into the fridge but decided to eat actual breakfast, after all you now had another day-night rhythm and you didn’t want to destroy it again by eating a dinner meal now. You could have it for lunch. When you had first arrived here you couldn’t eat three full meals a day and only took something small for lunch. But by now you could already eat a lot more for lunch. Somehow you had felt bad about gaining weight in the first few weeks because you had always been drummed into that you would not be desirable if you got too fat. Of course Spock had tried to alleviate your fears and told you that in your old job people had only looked at your body but now he thought that your personality was more important than how you looked.

-

Spock came back in the evening just before dinner while you were cooking with Aliza and Lexie

“Is it true that you don’t eat meat?” Lexie asked

“Yes I live vegetarian”

“So you think killing people is okay but not killing animals?”

“It has also other reasons that I do not want to eat meat. But I do not think it is ‘okay’ to kill people and only will do so if it is absolutely necessary or no other way”

“Hm that sounds great” before you sat down at the table, Spock asked to speak to you in private. You followed him to his office where he presented you a little box

“What is that?”

“Open it before you ask” with a shrug you did so and saw a necklace with blue stone as pendant.

“I… it’s beautiful” you said stroking the pendant “But I thought I told you shouldn’t buy me gifts anymore”

“That is a special gift and I did not buy it since it belonged to my mother”

“Your mother?”

“Yes. I was thinking that it would be proper to give you something since you accepted my proposal”

“But it belonged to your mother”

“For safekeeping. She has wanted me to give it to my fiancée one day”

“But do you really think I am the right…”

“(Y/N)” he placed his hands on your shoulders “If I did not think you were the right one I would not have asked you to marry me or offered you the necklace. But I can understand if you do not want it, we could go to the jeweler tomorrow so that you can…”

“No” you said, taking out the necklace “It is great and much better than something you bought. It has history. It means something to you. That is much, much better than anything you could buy” he smiled and took the necklace from your hand

“May I?” you nodded and turned around so that he could put it on. Then you faced him again and kissed him, placing the box on the desk so that you could snake your arms around his neck and pull him closer.

“Thank you” you whispered “This really means a lot to me. Now let’s better go to the others again or they’ll burn down your kitchen” you pulled him out of the room by the hand.

“And?” Lexie asked.

“Later” you mumbled. When you were eating, Spock informed you that two other men would arrive and then the three girls would be interviewed about their life at the Stella and if they thought Oliver was a good manager and all and also you would need to tell them a few things about what the man had done to you. Of course that made you nervous and you only hoped that you didn’t say anything that could upset Oliver and then vent his anger on the other girls. You wouldn’t put it past him after what he had done yesterday. But even while you were still eating, Spock’s phone rang.

“Yes?” he made an agreeing sound “What?” he got up “Are you certain?” a sigh followed and he walked away “Do you know if all rooms are concerned?” the last thing you heard was how he ordered them to find something and then he closed the door to his office.

“Well what do you think that was?”

“No idea”

“Wait he doesn’t tell you everything?”

“No. Because he can’t tell outsiders and he also thinks that the less I know the more I’m protected because otherwise people would want information from me” Spock came back quickly after

“I need to leave and cannot say when I will be back”

“What about the interviews?” Aliza asked

“I suppose they have just become irrelevant” all of the women exchanged a look. Of course you knew what this probably meant. That apparently Oliver had done something else that the Azienda did not like

“What happened? And don’t you dare telling us it’s not our business because it obviously is. The Stella is something that concerns us” Lexie demanded

“I cannot tell you until I have seen the proof myself and found out more”

“When cane we go home? Oliver will be furious if we’re not punctual for our shift”

“I do believe that Mr. Walker will not be a concern to you any longer”

“Has something happened to him?”

“Not yet” with that he left

“That kinda sounds like Ollie got himself into trouble. I want to know what it was”

“He will tell us later on” you said

“Are you sure?” you shrugged and heard how the door closed

“Well then we’ve got the evening to ourselves. What do we do?”

-

You only heard what had happened tomorrow. Spock had been gone all night and came back shortly after you had had breakfast. He looked tired and done with everything so you got up from the couch and hugged him

“Are you okay?” you asked

“I suppose so” he removed your arms and pressed a kiss to your cheek “I just wish to lie down for fifteen minutes and then eat something”

“Okay, I’ll get you something ready. But why don’t you want to sleep?”

“Because that would ruin my sleep rhythm”

“Okay” you pecked his lips and watched him go upstairs while you took out everything to prepare him breakfast for when he returned. Since he didn’t usually drink coffee, you decided to make him some black tea. Before he came downstairs again, Aliza trotted into the kitchen

“Did he tell you what happened yet?”

“No. He seems very tired. I suppose he’s been up all night”

“Oh. I’ll go back to bed then. Can you wake me when you heard what it was?”

“I think it’s better to tell you in the evening” she gave a nod and returned to your room. Spock returned in a casual cream-colored sweater and jeans. You threw a glance at him and gulped because somehow you felt the urgent need to rip both of it off his body. After all you had never seen in in such an attire and you couldn’t help but admit that he looked very hot.

“Is something wrong?” he asked looking down on his body

“No” you quickly said “I just think you look good in these clothes” you felt your cheeks heat up and he gave a nod and took a container with coffee from a cupboard above your head “I made you tea. Black tea”

“Thank you but I suppose that today I need some coffee to stay awake”

“Oh alright” you started preparing some breakfast for him and placed it in front of him before you glanced to your chair and then just decided to have a seat in his lap. “Could you do what you wanted?”

“Most of it” he said “But I can take care of the rest in the course of the day” you gave a nod and leaned your head against his shoulder to wait until he was done eating although you wanted him to tell you what had happened with Ollie and the Stella. When he was done, he wrapped an arm around you “Would you like to move to the living room?”

“Yeah” you said and tried to get up but before you could do so, he did so and just carried you to couch, sitting down with you still in his lap. “I was surprised you didn’t want to go to work immediately”

“No I need to relax for a short while before I can continue work”

“Okay. Do you want to watch something? The others have recommend me a movie”

“Which one?”

“Pretty Woman. According to them it fits our relationship perfectly” he raised an eyebrow and switched on the portal where he could buy or rent movies directly on his TV. He found the right one and put it on. You instantly knew what the girls meant about that the movie just described your situation perfectly. The main character, Vivian, worked as a prostitute in Los Angeles and one day this rich guy, Edward, came. He didn’t actually want to hire her for the reason other men would and there was the scene in the car. Just that in the movie the roles were reversed, the women knew the car and the man had troubles. Once the main character arrived Edward’s hotel in Beverly Hills she couldn’t comprehend the luxury. Also it seemed like the man didn’t want sex just like Spock had during your first meeting (you also noticed the prices for an hour were the same). There was a scene where the man looked at her in amusement and something like curiosity which reminded you of how Spock sometimes would look at you, just in his own way. Also Vivian got clothes paid for her by the man and you looked down at your own clothes, knowing that you probably had made a huge transformation as well. Then there was a part about a fancy restaurant, which you found extremely funny but you wished someone had told you about the mannerisms of such a place too before you went there. Then there was the scene in which they talked and where you noticed more similarities between you, Spock and the characters. For example how Edward didn’t really drink, did no drugs (or did no ‘fun’ things in general) and so got asked what stuff he did at all(Jim once had told Spock almost exactly the same). Or when they talked about not getting emotionally attached and compared having sex to becoming a robot, which was something you sometimes did too.

And when the characters had sex on a piano, you got a bit jealous because you had not even touched Spock in such a way although you really wanted to at times. You made a mental note to ask Spock if you could have sex on his piano once too. After a polo game she felt betrayed by him or just upset because he had told someone about her profession and they almost separated and it seemed like Vivian would go back to her old life but in the end she stayed with him anyway. Or the chess game in the middle of the night, which was something you and Spock sometimes did too (you were glad he didn’t take you to an opera though) and it seemed like the man had taught her the rules like Spock had done with you. There was a part at the end where the protagonist got molested and how the man she was with didn’t like that. Then you heard that apparently the man had organized everything for her to life a normal life but she didn’t want it, she wanted him and he refused. But in the end, the man came back for her, like she had imagined her knight would come for her to rescue her.

“I must admit that it is indeed quite similar to our story” Spock said when the credits were on and you gave a nod.

“I know. But be honest, was it such a bad movie?

“It was something I have not really known. I would not have watched it without you and probably also not if the topic had not been so familiar” you smiled and pecked his cheek.

“Do you know what? You kinda are my knight in shining armor too. Or let’s make it a black armor to give it a bit more seriousness and mystery since your job isn’t really, well what a knight does. No offence” he raised an eyebrow but leant closer to peck your cheek. He switched off the TV and you snuggled closer to him, talking about other similarities as well. “Can you tell me what was going on at the Stella? Why you went there and what happened to Oliver?” you finally asked when your conversation about the movie had ended and you both had been quiet for a while. He let out a quick sigh

“Are you certain you wish to know?”

“Yes” it sounded like it would be something bad and you hoped that none of your friends had gotten into trouble”

“As it seems, Mr. Walker has installed bugging devices in all of the rooms where you women sleep and has frequently been listening in on your conversations”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of privacy infringement and underage drinking

Now you knew why he asked if you really wanted to know.

“That’s sick” you said, feeling sick as well. Just how much had he heard? Since when had the devices been there? Why was he doing it and what was he hoping to achieve with it? You gulped

“How did you find out?”

“I have wondered how he could have known about what has occurred in the restaurant we have been prior to our visit at the Stella and how he knew about our fight. I doubted that you have told him, which suggested that he must have somehow overheard the conversation. For this reason I asked one of our men to scan everything in the Stella for any kind of listening devices and he has found them in each of the girl’s rooms” you gave a nod

“What did you do then?”

“We have started to remove all said devices while I was questioning Oliver as to why he installed them before he has dedicated the Stella to Jim and was accompanied to the airport”

“Wait he just left the Stella out of his free will?”

“I am quite certain that the gun pointed at his head has influenced his decision”

“Oh. But what about him now?”

“He had to leave the city forever and as soon as he sets one foot into San Francisco again, we have the right to put a bullet in his head” you gulped but gave a nod.

“What will become of the Stella?”

“As I have already said, it officially belongs to Jim now, making it the property of the Azienda. But Theresa and the males working there will manage the club and 70% of the winnings must be delivered to us”

“What about the protection racket?”

“We have not established everything yet but I suppose it is irrelevant since it now officially belongs to us”

“But if you say you get that much of the winnings… how will they pay for the things the women need and all?”

“That is not calculated in the winnings. The winning only is what the club is left with once all spending such as wages, maintenance, electricity and specific goods are subtracted. Formerly, all said money has belonged to Oliver, now 70% must be delivered to us and officially the other 30% belong to Theresa. But I suppose that she will find a fair way to share it with everyone” you smiled

“You are saying they probably get more money?”

“It seems likely”

“That’s very nice. And you too will make more money, so it was best for everyone. Well except Oliver but he deserved what he got if he was such an asshole” he gave a nod “What about Eileen, Aliza and Lexie? Will they return to the Stella?”

“I will inform them about what has happened and bring them back tonight” he was silent for some time and you were just about to ask if you could come with him when he asked the question himself, making you nod vigorously.

-

Of course the situation at the Stella was anything but normal when you arrived with Spock and your friends in the late afternoon. The girls had seemed a bit pissed that they were woken so early but you told them that Spock had not slept since yesterday morning. And once they heard what had happened at their home, they only could be shocked about that. To your surprise all the girls were up and gathered in the club. The girls that had been with you joined them and you didn’t know if you should stay with Spock and the other members of the Azienda or go to the girls as well. But when you saw that Theresa came downstairs with the little ones, you looked at Spock and joined the girls instead. Needless to say, that they were happy to see you and you got asked a huge deal of questions again, just that those were more innocent in nature and mainly focused on which items you had bought or what the house was like. Theresa then stood in front of the girls and eyed all of you.

“I’m sure that some of you have already heard what has happened last night. But I’m telling all of you now officially. Ollie has installed listening devices in all of your bedrooms and listened in on conversations quite often. We also found a camera in your changing room and some of your bathrooms had one too.” even you gasped at that because you found that this was much worse than just the listening devices. You threw a glance to Spock but from his mien you could not tell if he had known about those as well or not. But you figured he probably had. Theresa then went on with explaining that the Azienda members would get rid of them this night and that the club was closed because they needed time to reorganize a little. After all Ollie was gone and Theresa took over as manager, supported by Garret and Gaz. “But in the beginning, we will also get help from them” she pointed at the Mafiosi and then went on to explain that officially they owned the club and would get most of the winnings.

“They do what?” Isabelle cried out “And next they sell us all and force us to do something we don’t want!” and with that a lot others started protesting too. It took Therese a good minute until they were silent before telling them that the Azienda would do no such things.

“In fact, not much will change for you girls. Unless maybe a few little changes. I mean, Ollie got the money to himself. But sure, we will get less than he did but the percentage we can keep will not be needed to provide the necessities for us. Which means this money will belong to us and we are free to do with it what we want”

“Can we get a new TV?” Jo shouted and now everyone was crying out what they wanted and you smiled because of Zora’s wish to get a pony in their room.

“Quiet!” Theresa said “I don’t know what we do with it yet but I want to make a good investment. I think we could try to hire a better tutor so that you can learn more” no one seemed to like that a lot “Or we can use the money to ask for some identification papers for you and then the younger ones could go to school and meet others in their age as well. They could have a more normal childhood”

“And what about us?”

“I know it’s quite unfair for you because you had no such chance but since I am in charge I will try to make your life here better. By one, I officially abandon the rule that you are not allowed to start any relationship whatsoever. I don’t see why you should be forbidden to have sex in your private time with someone you really want it. But of course not every man will agree to a relationship if you stay in your profession. And both of you will need to sign a contract that it is okay for both of you if you continue working. I mean you won’t be forced to sleep with other men but you know what stuff can happen during a shift…”

“Can we live somewhere else too?”

“Maybe we will be able to get so much money that it is possible to do this but I can’t guarantee anything. Of course, if you have a boyfriend you’d like to be living with then that works. But I am asking you to be careful because not all men are always that much of a gentleman as they let on. And I don’t want anything to happen to any of you” Theresa went on with her speech explaining another few details, like that she thought about making a second club with some of the money Oliver had left and that this second club would be solely an erotic club that offered no special services whatsoever. Everything happened in the main room and the girls could do whatever they were comfortable with and keep the money they got for this as tip.

“And so we let a man fuck us for 10$ or what?”

“You don’t have to do it” someone else countered “As she said that is your decision what you do and if you do it can be that you get nothing for it. So I’d rather stay here”

“But on the other hand if someone wants more than just a lapdance you can officially say no and point out we don’t do that there”

“Could we also open that club for minors then? I mean customers who are not of age”

“No. We’re already quite illegal with not checking if they’re 21 or not before they get a drink and I don’t want to make this even worse”

“You are gonna ruin the club, I know it. People won’t want to come anymore”

“Oh come on, don’t be such a bitch”

“Who are you calling a bitch, you little…”

“Girls!” after two more shouts they were silent “I know this is hard and a new situation for all of us but I’m sure that we can find a good solution for all of us with time. Because I too could just keep the money to me and buy me a piece of the beach in the Caribbean area and rent me ten guys to tend to me whenever I am there”

“So you’re saying Ollie bought himself girls in the Caribbean?”

“He did. He also got a few other things that we will either keep for ourselves or we sell it and get the money” The discussion went on for another while until the girls seemed somewhat satisfied for the moment.

“And what do we do this night since we can’t work?”

“Whatever you want. Pretend it’s your night off” Theresa said “But please take care of the little ones, I have stuff to do. Make sure they go to bed soon. In fact, we should consider to hire a Nanny for them because I won’t be able to take care of them as I used to. Unless of course someone of you takes over that task” after that, Theresa went to Ollie’s office with two members of the Azienda and Gaz. You got up and wanted to return to your fiancé when you heard Yasmine mentioning your name. You chose to listen and found out that apparently, she blamed you for what happened

“How is that my fault? Besides, you will basically only profit from the new changes”

“What about Oliver? You wouldn’t want to know what your beloved mobster did to him”

“He told him to leave the city and never come back” you retorted “Besides what does it bother you?”

“I love him”

“You what?”

“You heard me quite right! I love him and he loves me. And it’s your fault that Stacey is gone because you had to make sure these Romulanos are after us” Stacey was her real sister and they had arrived here when Yasmine had been about three and her sister only a baby. “Or why else did you think Ollie wanted you back so badly? He wanted to avenge her in my name by hurting you”

“Look, what happened is not my fault”

“It is. You pissed them off and you should have taken the consequences”

“But now the club is in the hands of the Azienda. I bet they will leave you alone”

“You bet? What if not? Not your problem anymore because it’s not your concern anymore?”

“Yasmine, I never wanted anyone to get hurt. Including me. Spock promised he’d take care of the Romulanos and I thought he would. I didn’t know that others would get revenge too”

“That’s the problem with them”

“What problem are you referring to?” Spock had come over and placed a hand on your shoulder. In an instant, Yasmine told him what she had told you. Soon they were in a discussion about what had happened and you stood there a little forlorn and listened. But then you heard Theresa call for you from Ollie’s office. You gulped and entered the room

“Yes?”

“I’ve been trying to tidy up a little and I found something you might like” she handed you an envelope that had a star drawn onto it

“What is this?”

“Martin said he wanted to keep all the letters that were with you when you arrived. Not many got them but you do. He wanted to give them to the people when they were old enough. It seems like Oliver forgot that. But anyway, this is your letter”

“M-my letter? That someone wrote before they dropped me off here?”

“Yes” you gulped and stared at the envelope

“Did… you read it?”

“I only had a quick look and saw you name in it”

“Wait, you mean that whoever brought me here named me?”

“Yes it is one of the few cases where we didn’t name the baby” you nodded

“Was the letter good? I mean… did it sound like my family hated me?”

“I can’t say that. But alone the fact that they chose a name for you could be evidence that maybe they did care about you”

“But why would they leave me here?”

“I can’t say that. Maybe the letter will tell you more. You don’t have to read it now. Maybe you’re ready tomorrow, maybe in a year or maybe never. And no matter what you might find out… it won’t change anything about who you are or want to be”

“Do many of the girls have a letter?”

“There are a few but I don’t know if I can actually tell for who they are. Although Martin has written the names on the envelopes but I don’t think that Oliver kept the letters at all”

“Oh. Does that mean that Martin was nicer?”

“He definitely was the softer of the two. But Ollie… has always been Ollie. I can’t say what might be different today if Martin had not died”

“He died protecting us, right?”

“Yes, he did. You wouldn’t be where you are if he had agreed to the offer”

“Do you think Ollie would have agreed?”

“I can’t say that. But he’s basically only focused on money. I mean, what Martin’s killers proposed would have only given them money, not him and definitely not us” you gave a nod

“I’m sure the girls will have it good now that you are in charge”

“I’ll do my best to give them a better life.”

“I’m sure you can do a lot” you glanced at the letter again

“You can go back to the others if you want. I just wanted to give it to you now, after all you surely will leave again with Spock”

“Okay. Thank you, Theresa”

“No reason to thank me” she squeezed your arm and you left the room, only to meet Spock who was waiting for you

“Looks like you ended your talk with Yasmine”

“Yes, I had to cut her off when she has started insulting you. Has she always disliked you?”

“Probably. I didn’t have much contact with her, we just avoided each other and she often made a comment about me. Because she likes this life and everything around it a lot more better and she doesn’t like those who try to hold back and not have sex too often”

“I understand”

“Do you want to go home? You look really tired”

“You may stay if you want”

“No, it’s fine. They have a lot to do anyway” he nodded and placed a hand on your back

“What is this?” he pointed at the letter and you told him “Have you read it?”

“No. I don’t know if I can. What if they hate me?”

“I am certain they do not” you gave a nod.

“I’ll definitely only read it tomorrow. Today too much has happened”

-

For the first time, Spock had slept longer than you. At first you thought he had already left but when you went upstairs you saw that he was still in bed. Although you didn’t want to wake him, you stayed in the doorframe and watched him for a while. Somehow you wanted to join him and cuddle against him or trace your hands over the muscles on his body. So you decided it was better to leave before you did something that could wake him up. You went back to your room and read until you heard that Spock had gotten up. During breakfast, you only stared at the letter that you had put on the table. Once you were done with cleaning up, you took it into your hand again

“Do you wish to be alone?”

“No” you said, grabbing his hand “I-I’m just scared. What if it tells that my parents were assholes? Or what if we are related and couldn’t marry?” he cupped your face

“I hope both of them are not true. But even if you should be related to me, I would not send you away” you gave a nod and opened the envelope with trembling hands. “Do you wish that I read it first?” you slowly pulled out the letter and handed it to him, looking at him almost pleadingly. He unfolded the letter and started reading it, while you were keeping your fingers crossed that it would not be bad news.

“A-And?” you asked when he was done

“What do you want to hear?”

“I don’t know. Can you sum it up but without telling me something?”

“The letter is from the women who gave birth to you. She explains why she had to give you away” you gulped

“Does it sound like she wanted to keep me? Or that she likes me?”

“I suppose so. At least she seems to regret that there was no other way”

“Does it say who my parents are?”

“There are implications”

“Can I have it?” you asked and he gave it to you. You didn’t know why but somehow you had to read it.

“Dear people of the Stella” it read “This is (Y/N). It feels wrong to leave her with you but we don’t have a choice because no one must know about her. I know what will become of her but from what I have heard she will be able to have a normal childhood and find many friends. Please promise that you take care of her and all the other girls you have because I am sure that deep down, all their parents somehow love them in a way and that it were the circumstances that forced them to leave them with you. I didn’t want to bring her to an orphanage because I doubt that we could have ever gotten her back from there or visited her because her father is not welcome under the authorities. So it will be better for her to grow like this. I can’t tell you who exactly she is because if the truth came out, my boyfriend, (Y/N) and I would be in big trouble because she is not my fiancé’s child. Which is why I must make sure no one ever hears the truth for as long my father and Ayel live. Maybe I or my boyfriend can come back for her one day. Yours sincerely, M.B.”

“What does this mean? I mean… where have you found the implications who my parents are? Do you know an M.B.?”

“The fact that it is mentioned that your father might never be able to adopt a child indicates that he is a part of the Mafia. But since the Azienda has good connection to all kind of authorities which could enable such a thing with the correct bribe, I suppose that he is not one of our family”

“What if you just didn’t have the connections back then?”

“I am certain we have had them. Besides, I know that both the Klingonas and the Romulanos will try to get the best marriage for their female children by arranging marriages when they are still young. A woman is expected to remain faithful to her promised one even if she is in love with another. Your mother surely has not done, so which resulted in your birth. The fact that she was able to hide her pregnancy indicates that she had the means to disappear for a few months, which is not something most members of a Mafia can do without raising suspicion. Which means that either she or her boyfriend are in a good position within their family. And most importantly, there is a name. Ayel”

“Who is it? I mean is that her brother maybe?”

“I do not think so. Usually, members of a mafia pride themselves with their families, and I doubt she would have mentioned her brother’s name and would have rather referred to him as ‘her brother’. Which is why I believe that it is the fiancé she has spoken of. Which again would mean that your mother probably is a member of the Romulano family but not related to them since they would try to marry their daughter to someone in a good position to be in favor with the family”

“So we have a name. Let’s find out who this Ayel is and we can find my mother”

“That is not necessary. I know the name”

“You do?”

“Yes. Can you recall who Nero was?”

“The one who lost his wife and…. killed your family”

“Indeed. Ayel was his best friend and the one who supported him in his purpose”

“Wait you’re telling me that my mother’s fiancé did this to you? But that means that he is dead now, right?”

“Yes” he looked down “This, however, means that also your mother could be dead because of us”


End file.
